I Surrender All
by StarVix
Summary: Knuckles the Echidna refuses to believe in anything he cannot prove, but when he asks the Master Emerald to prove the existance of God, he gets more than he bargained for. And Commander Shadow desperately tries to find a deciever before it is too late...
1. Chapter 1

**This story is a Christian allegory. I have placed it in 'Spiritual' because there is no 'Christian' category on this site. It is a direct sequel to I Still Believe; I would humbly suggest that you read that before starting this. All Bible verses are taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted. The song I Surrender All, which is sung later in the story and which is title of this story, is a hymn written by Judson W Van DeVenter. I mean no disrespect by using it or any of the other songs I will use in this story. To God be all the Glory.**

* * *

**Chapter 1—A Wolf in the Fold?**

**Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.—2 Corinthians 11:14-15**

**I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.—Galatians 5:10**

**What big lies we have!**

**We come as spies, disguised as lambs**

**But if they'd read just an open page**

**I think they all could spot the wolves far away**

**What truths Scripture has!**

**It's sure to warn if someone's bad**

**So before they understand God's grace**

**I think I ought to lock you up in a safe**

**—**_**Little Read Bible Book**_**, Apologetix**

* * *

Commander Shadow the Hedgehog was taking the news rather hard. "More?" he asked, sounding despondent. His friend and mentor, Commander Jack, just sighed and nodded, his countenance grave.

Shadow bowed his head for a second, then turned to the window. "How many this time?"

"At least twenty," Commander Jack replied.

"Twenty." The word sounded bitter in his mouth as the ebony hedgehog repeated it. Twenty of the king's citizens had recanted and had gone to the Forbidden Realm—Lucifer's domain.

Shadow knew for a fact that any who entered the Forbidden Realm would never come back. He had spent enough time in Mephiles' army to know that the dragon would pounce as soon as they were in his clutches, and he would never let go. Twenty more souls doomed for an eternity—and the recantations were happening nearly every day now.

And why? That's what Shadow wished to know. The best they could figure, someone was deceiving the King's Citizens, lying to them somehow to make them recant, but who, and how…that was anybody's guess.

"There's more," Commander Jack continued, sounding even sadder, if that was possible. "Mighty was with them."

If the news before had been a blow to Shadow, this news was as if a lightning bolt had struck him from the sky. The hedgehog commander paled considerably. "W-what?" he gasped. Mighty! But he had been so strong in his faith…it was inconceivable that he would recant.

Shadow's head started to spin and he sat down behind his desk heavily, gazing out the window of his office. He wished not for the first time that he could turn back the clock, if only for a few moments, back to when he was still a new citizen, when the thought of anyone recanting was laughable, and when Amy and Sonic had been with him, to help him whenever he had faltered, as he felt himself faltering now.

But now, Amy had gone on a journey through the Borderlands, places at the outskirts of Lucifer's turf, where few King's Citizens were and to those who were difficult to reach. It would be several years, still, before she was due to come back. And as for Sonic…Sonic…

A bittersweet pang filled Shadow's being as he remembered the day that Sonic had been whisked away before his very eyes. It had been more than a small shock to find that his cobalt blue friend had not been from his world—although it did explain why Sonic had been so clueless about such obvious things, and why he would start speaking about strange things as if they were commonplace. He had been told that while the King may very well wish for Sonic to come back to this realm, Shadow would probably never see Sonic again in this lifetime, but that he would certainly see his friend when they crossed over into the King's City, and there they would live forevermore.

That had been nearly ten years ago, as Shadow could recall. After Sonic's disappearance, he had devoted himself to his task of studying to become a Commander, and had been thrilled when the day came when he had earned his commission. He had been assigned to the training grounds at Gala, a town about fifteen miles away from Delphia, where he had received his own training. Gala was a small town, surrounded on all sides by a thick forest. Shadow had heard Sonic once refer to a town Gala's size as…how had he put it…oh, yeah, "A one stoplight town." Whatever that meant.

Shadow wondered how Sonic would handle the thought of someone tricking King's Citizen's into recanting. More than likely he'd say something like, "Well, then, let's go _get _him!" And then rush off in some odd direction without one clue or idea as to who the deceiver was or where he should look. Sonic never had been one for thinking things through.

Then again, somehow Sonic had always managed to get the job done…

"…hear me, Shadow?"

Shadow's focus snapped back to the present, and his face flushed warm as he realized that Commander Jack had been speaking and he hadn't been paying any attention. "Forgive me, Commander. You were saying?"

Commander Jack raised an eyebrow, but he repeated himself anyway. "I said, an emergency Commander's Conference has been called. All Commanders are required to come to Delphia and report any information they may have on who this deceiver is and where he may be hiding, as well as how he is reaching King's Citizen's with his lies. Even if we get no new information, it will ensure that all the Commanders know about this so they can warn their trainees and keep a sharp lookout for any deceivers."

Shadow nodded. Right now, it was quite literally the best they could do—that, and continue to pray that the deceiver would be revealed so he or she could be stopped before any more King's Citizens destroyed themselves because of false teachings.

"When is this conference?" Shadow asked.

"When the sun is at the highest peak on Thursday," Commander Jack replied, standing to leave. "I will see you then."

Shadow nodded, his face set with grim determination. "Thursday."

* * *

Thursday seemed to simultaneously come too quickly and not quickly enough for Shadow, but it did come all the same. Shadow found himself in a large conference room with many other commanders. Some he recognized. Many he did not. But they were all there to deal with a common, very deadly, threat.

Commander Jack took the podium that stood in the middle of the room so that all could see him. "I thank you all for coming here today," he said, and then he explained the situation.

As one can imagine, his news went over like a ton of freakin' _bricks._

It took Commander Jack several minutes to restore order enough for the varied commanders in the room to ask questions of him in a somewhat dignified manner.

Commander Sally Acorn was the first to speak. "Sir, how is this deceiver so cunning as to deceive the King's Citizens so thoroughly, so many times over?"

Commander Jack just shook his head. "We don't know this. We don't know hardly anything about why or how. We simply know that he or she _is_, and that we must find a way to stop this imposter quickly."

"Commander, if I may be so bold." Everyone hushed as this new commander stood up so that he could be better heard. Commander Julian Kintobor was a well respected commander, known throughout the region as one of the King's most hardworking followers. Only Commander Jack was more well known. He was well-liked and his advice was always listened too and usually taken.

Commander Jack nodded. "Of course, Commander Julian. What is it you wanted to say?"

Commander Julian looked upset, as if deeply concerned about something. "Forgive my brashness, commander, but I can only think of one way that a deceiver could deceive so many so thoroughly." He closed his eyes, and his face twisted as if he was put through severe torture just to suggest what he was about to imply, and continued, "Our imposter is a Commander."

This news was even less well received than the last. A commander! It was unthinkable, unbelievable…and unfortunately, it made too much sense to be dismissed.

Shadow's mind seemed to be in a fog for the rest of the night. It was too much information, too much cursed bad news…he needed time to sit down, to allow his shock to abate, to think.

The rest of the meeting was lost to him, except for the very end, when he distinctly heard Commander Jack swear everyone in the room to secrecy regarding Commander Julian's fears. They could not be certain the imposter was a commander, and there would be more lost than gained if people started to point fingers at one another. Afterwards, Commander Jack dismissed everyone.

As Shadow prepared to leave, however, Commander Jack pulled him to the side. "Meet me in my office after the others leave," he whispered, then he moved on. Shadow wanted to sigh. Here was more news, and more than likely he would not get the time he needed to think. Nevertheless, after the other commanders left, he found himself in Commander Jack's office.

He wasn't alone; three other commanders were with him. There was Commander Sally Acorn, sitting off to the side. Sally's armor was quite beautiful; her Breastplate of Righteousness was smaller than most, ending around her upper waist. It was steel, and the sides looked as if someone had literally stitched pure gold into the metal. A dove was outlined in gold in the middle of the breastplate. The Breastplate itself was snow white. A golden gorget was tucked under her Breastplate, giving her the look of wearing a beautiful golden brooch. Her Shoes of Peace were long leather boots; the majority of which was snow white. The toes of her shoes were golden; and elegant golden patterns flowed up each shoes. The tops of the shoes, which ended near the tops of her legs, were pointed, and golden as well. Her Belt of Truth, which indeed is the only part of the armor that is the same for each person in the King's army, was a thick, white belt that covered her waist. Her Helmet of Salvation was also white, rounded to fit her head snuggly. It completely covered her head, and under her chin, leaving an area for her face to remain uncovered, although it came in points under her eyes and just above her chin. Each point was golden; it framed her face quite beautifully. Her Shield of Faith was round; completely white save for a golden emblem of a dove in the very middle. She was wearing golden chain mail under her armor, as well. Her Sword of the Spirit was a flambard; an exceptionally long sword that had been forged with undulating or wave-shaped edges. It is sometimes referred to as a flame-bladed sword; for the curves give the appearance of flames running up the sword on the battlefield.

Next to Sally was Commander Ray the Flying Squirrel. Shadow remembered him from the last commander's meeting; he had shown up at the last minute and had tripped over a waste basket, nearly knocking both it and himself down. Despite that fact, Shadow had heard he was a loyal and dedicated follower of the King.

Ray's armor was lighter; made mostly from a thick leather instead of metal, to let him have use of his agility and not impede his flying skills. His breastplate was long, durable leather that was snow white. In the middle he had an emblem of a cross etched in pure gold. His Belt of Truth was resting just over the bottom of the Breastplate. His Shoes of Peace resembled thick white leather boots. Near his ankles a golden band covered the top of his boots. His Helmet of Salvation was was a round, thin piece of white metal that that covered the top of his head. His Shield of Faith was an unusual piece of equipment; it resembled a leather cape that Ray could drape over his arm when not in use; when he was using it, it stiffened and became as hard and unyielding as any metal. It provided him a lightweight shield that gave him no trouble at all when he took to the air. Ray's Sword of the Spirit was a 10 inch dirk dagger; Shadow knew Ray had quite the reputation for it. It was said that he could throw the dagger and hit a target he could barely see from distances that Shadow found hard to believe were not exaggerated. The hilt of the dagger was golden and Ray had it attached to a pouch hanging from his Belt of Truth.

Leaning against the far wall was a chameleon. Shadow wasn't sure of his name, Commander Epsilon, or something to that effect. The Chameleon's armor was the second most unique armor Shadow had ever seen; only Sonic's had been more unorthodox. He wore a simple white tunic under his armor. His Breastplate of Righteousness was lamellar armor, which looks like thousands of scales hooked together so tightly nothing could pass. Two thick golden strands, impossible to break, went over the shoulders and kept the Breastplate on the chameleon's body. An emblem of an eagle was etched into the middle in solid gold. the Breastplate itself was white. His Shoes of Peace were golden sandals; his Helmet of Salvation looked for all the world like a white hood that covered his head; leaving a small opening for his eyes. Just above the opening was a thick material; thicker than the rest of the hood; and on this material strange markings were written in gold. Shadow would later find out that these markings were the words King of Kings in a language known as Japanese. His Belt of Truth hung around his waist; to this a simple gold cord attached the naked blade of the Sword of the Spirit that the chameleon used, a katana that had golden cloth wrapped around the hilt.

The chameleon gave Shadow a curt nod, which the hedgehog returned. Then the ebony commander sat down to wait.

He didn't have to wait long. Presently the door to the office opened and Commander Jack stepped into the room.

"Thank you all for agreeing to meet with me in private," he said graciously as he walked over to his desk.

"What is this about?" Commander Sally asked as soon as he was seated.

Commander Jack smiled. "I'm glad you asked. I'm concerned that Commander Julian is right—that the deceiver is a commander. I called you four here because I know for a fact that each of you is truly and deeply devoted to the King."

"But what does that have to do with the imposter?" Ray asked.

Commander Jack's smile grew slightly wider. "I am about to ask each of you to do something I would not normally do. I would like you all to leave your trainees with your Lt. Commanders, and then work together to hunt down this deceiver, whomever it may be. And he or she may very well be a commander, in which case you will have to expose that person. It could take some time, and you would no doubt be trekking throughout most of the kingdom as you follow this deceiver's trail. I will not force you to do this, however. The decision is yours to make."

There was a short silence while each person thought through their decisions. The chameleon spoke first. "Finding this deceiver is our top priority. I will go."

"Thank you, Espio," Commander Jack said sincerely.

"I will go too," Sally confirmed. "The damage this imposter will do if we do not stop him will be astronomical."

"I will go as well," Shadow agreed. He could not in good conscience sit back and do nothing while this fiend drove the King's citizens to their destruction.

Ray was silent for a while longer, deep in thought. "Well…I'm not sure I'm the right person for this job," he finally admitted. "But if you believe I can do it, Commander, then I'm willing to try."

Commander Jack looked quite pleased. "Thank you, Ray. That's all I ask. Some horses will be provided for you all, of course. I would like you to leave first thing tomorrow. For now, get some rest. It will be a very long journey."

* * *

Shadow waited for the others to leave, and then he too trekked down the halls of the Delphia training grounds. It brought back so many memories of his training here. And though he would not be sleeping there tonight, the ebony hedgehog decided to walk past his old room. All was as he remembered it. There was the door to what used to be his room…and next to it…

Shadow sighed as his gaze fell upon the door to Sonic's old room. He half expected the cobalt blue hedgehog to come bursting out of it, full of energy, vowing that he wouldn't let that accursed wall get the better of him that day.

Oh, the hours he had spent watching Sonic try to get up that wall! The hedgehog never had been able to climb up it fast enough to earn a passing grade…perhaps it was just as well that the King had sent him back to his home world. Sonic would have been mortified if he had been unable to pass the King's academy simply because he couldn't get over a _wall_.

Shadow chuckled at the memories of Sonic's exploits with the academy wall. And he hoped that, wherever he was, his friend's days were not as distressing as his were.

He had better get to his new room and get some sleep. More distressing days were still to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2—Who has believed?**

**Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?—Isaiah 53:1**

**Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.—John 3:18**

**And you want Him**

**And you need Him**

**But you act like He's not there**

**And you know that you're hollow**

**And something's missing there**

**So you push and you pull the hole in your soul**

**But you can't make the hunger disappear**

**--**_**Hunger, **_**Fireflight**

* * *

Oh boy. Here he comes again.

Knuckles the Echidna shifted his position from where he sat before the Master Emerald's shrine, idly watching a cobalt blue hedgehog strolling casually up his steps, whistling some tune or another.

It wasn't often that Sonic walked instead of ran; the blue blur had the patience of a two-year-old on Christmas morning. He wanted to be there now. Which often led to arguments with the echidna guardian; Sonic's jet stream from when he ran would often damage the plants on Angel Island. Knuckles would yell at him and tell him to slow up or stay off, and Sonic would laugh it off and run on the island anyway.

Well, that's how it used to work…lately, Sonic seemed to have gained patience, at least, enough to _walk _to his destination whenever he was on Angel Island (Save for emergencies.)

That fact alone almost—_almost—_made Knuckles think there was something to Sonic's new religion other than fairy tales and folk stories. After all, it wasn't hard for him to accept the fact that only a supernatural power greater than any he'd ever experienced could possibly teach Sonic a little patience.

But he would die before he admitted that. He was stubborn, and his pride refused to let him admit that he could be wrong and Sonic could be right.

Forcing his thoughts back to the matter at hand, Knuckles stood as his friend finally made it up the long winding staircase, his familiar smirk gracing his features.

"Hey, Knuckles," Sonic said, leaning against a nearby pillar.

"Sonic," Knuckles greeted. "What's going on?"

Sonic shrugged. "Just wanted to check up on ya," he replied, yawning lazily. His gaze turned towards the island. "Sure is pretty up here, huh?"

Knuckles didn't know if he should be wary, suspicious, or what. Once upon a time, Sonic never ventured to Angel Isle without some ulterior motive, such as enlisting Knuckles' help to stop Eggman. A noble motive, but an ulterior one just the same.

Lately though, Sonic had…well, for lack of a better word, changed. The hedgehog was more considerate of his friends; he could very well be here for no reason at all other than to hang out and talk. The hedgehog seemed to suddenly realize that it must be lonely on this island alone all the time. More evidence of an unforeseen supernatural power…but no, Knuckles decided not to even consider the fact. So Sonic decided to grow up and think about other people's wants and/or needs every once in a while. That was no reason to get superstitious.

If Sonic _was _here to talk, that posed somewhat of a problem. A small one; but a problem nonetheless. Knuckles wasn't much of a people person; having spent the majority of his live alone he felt, well, awkward and out of place around others when he wasn't punching robots and blowing stuff up. You didn't really have to chitchat in a situation like that. His socialization skills were enough that he realized it would probably be extremely rude to kick Sonic off his island when the hedgehog was behaving himself and…well, actually, that was pretty much it.

So Knuckles sat there, in an awkward silence. Or he assumed it was, as it was quiet and he felt awkward. Sonic looked quite comfortable and content just to remain where he was, looking out over Angel Island without speaking.

Knuckles wracked his mind over what to say, drew a blank, and finally decided to forget it. If Sonic wished to talk, then he could speak and Knuckles would reply. Until then, he would simply do his duties and be pleased that the hedgehog wasn't interfering with them in any way. He sort of preferred this anyway; Sonic's quietness helped dull the sensation of loneliness Knuckles often felt on the island without embarrassing him by revealing how bad he was at small talk.

* * *

Sonic, for his own part, understood that Knuckles enjoyed silent company. He knew the echidna would a thousand times rather have someone just sit with him while he watched the Master Emerald than going off to do something interesting. Sonic was doing his best to give his friend that; but nobody said it would be easy for him. He found himself silently praying for the ability to sit still for ten measly minutes, as he had found out (and was quite fed up with himself over it, too) that that little amount of stillness was beyond his capabilities.

He was getting better at it, though. He had also learned to be careful what one prayed for, for it seemed that God had answered his prayers for patience by continually providing endless situations that required him to wait. These were many and diverse; ranging from waiting for Tails to finish his latest invention that would help track Chaos Emeralds, to realizing he was stuck behind an elderly woman who paid for a 3.97 item with pennies. All of which had to be counted before she could take her item and go, with no other checkout lines open for him to dart too, because he absolutely had to buy the item he needed today. And of course, this was the only place he had been able to find it.

So Sonic waited. He silently prayed as he passed the time during his visit. He wanted so desperately to blurt out that he wanted Knuckles to come to church with him and get saved; but he understood that the echidna wasn't ready. He knew God was dealing with Knuckles; if he spoke now Knuckles would simply get defensive and it would simply make it harder to get through to him.

Sonic had to pray and be attentive so he realized when the correct time to speak to Knuckles about it would be. He had to wait.

Finally, Sonic stretched, turned to Knuckles, and gave him a grin. "Y'know Knuckles, I was kind of wondering…" But before the words could leave his mouth, he noticed how low the sun was over the horizon. His eyes widened and he checked his watch. "5:20? Crap, I promised Amy I'd see her at six for a Bible Study!"

Knuckles couldn't help but chuckle at the horrified look that came over Sonic's face as he realized he had forgotten what time it was. The hedgehog looked up at his friend, his face slightly pink. "Um, sorry I have to leave like this, I thought I had another hour before…"

Knuckles just nodded when Sonic trailed off, to show he understood. "Thanks for stopping by, Sonic," he said, and he meant it, too.

"Yeah…" Sonic turned to go, then paused and looked back at Knuckles. "Listen, uh…if you ever want to take a break from watching the Emerald, just call me. I'd be happy to watch it for however long a rest you'd need."

Knuckles didn't bother to hide his shock at the request; couldn't have even if he'd tried. He'd never take the hedgehog up on his offer, of course, but still, the very fact that Sonic had offered was…incredible, to say the least. "Thanks," was all the echidna said.

"Do you mind if I, uh…" Sonic turned crimson and used two of his fingers to mimic running.

Knuckles sighed. Well, at least he'd asked. "Go ahead."

"Thanks, Knux, I owe ya one!" Sonic told him, turning and rushing off into the distance at his top speed in a desperate attempt to make it to his appointment on time. The echidna shook his head and smirked as he heard the tell tale sound of a sonic boom echoing around his island.

* * *

Knuckles sighed and looked at his Master Emerald. The Master Emerald was easy for him to believe in; he could see it, feel it, touch it. He could sense it. So much simpler than some invisible God that may or may not exist.

Wait a second…the Master Emerald…

Knuckles grinned. Why hadn't he thought about this before? The Master Emerald was powerful. It could and had showed him things that otherwise he would never have known. He knew aspects of history, past and future, that others couldn't even fathom simply because he had asked it to show him.

He would ask the Master Emerald to show him God. Then he would know. If the Emerald showed God, Knuckles would know he existed; after all, he had seen him. If not, then Knuckles knew he was right. God was a fairy tale, a myth. Either way, he felt he had nothing to loose.

The echidna floated to the Emerald and clutched it, looking deep inside. "Master Emerald," he whispered. "Show me God."

The Emerald's middle whirled, and images formed; a man and a woman in a garden, taking a bite out of some kind of fruit. An army marching around a walled city, several people out front blowing on some sort of trumpet. An elderly man, face shining, carrying stone tablets down a mountain. A large, splintery piece of wood, shaped like a T, stained red with blood.

The images were so intense that Knuckles gasped and jerked away from the Emerald. "What the heck is this?" he asked, feeling frustrated. The Master Emerald didn't show pictures unless he asked for them. If the Emerald could not show God, it should have remained silent to him. The images it showed both frightened and infuriated him. It meant that there _was _something to show him, but the Master Emerald would not or could not show him.

Knuckles could hardly believe the Master Emerald was incapable doing something. It was refusing to answer his question. It had _never _refused him anything.

Knuckles wasn't one to take no for an answer. He took hold of the Emerald again. "Master Emerald, I want to see God!" he ordered it.

The images came again, this time so fast and so intense that Knuckles could not let go. A sound, like thousands of children singing in harmony, started to come from the Emerald as the images flashed faster and faster.

_"I surrender all…"_

"Stop," Knuckles gasped, unable to bear any more.

_"I surrender all…"_

"Please, stop," the echidna pleaded, desperate to get away yet unable to move.

_"All to thee my precious Savior,_

_I surrender all."_

"STOP!!" Knuckles screamed, and a bright flash came from the Master Emerald, releasing him. Knuckles collapsed to the ground, completely drained.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?" he asked the gem as he gasped for breath. "Don't I give everything I am, everything I have, to protect you? Why won't you answer this one simple question?"

_What do you want?_

The voice seemed to echo around him, though he did not recognize it. It was not coming from the Emerald; at least he thought it didn't. It almost seemed to be coming from inside his head, but it was not himself. It was something else entirely.

"I want…" he was too beset with the images he had witnessed, the voices he had heard from the Emerald, to be concerned with whoever or whatever was addressing him now. "I want to know the truth."

A loud sound resonated around the Island, and Knuckles suddenly felt faint and nauseous. He felt like he was moving; but he was not. The Echidna normally could have handled it, but his recent experience with the Master Emerald had weakened him so that he passed out soon after it began.

If anyone had been on Angel Isle at the time, they would have seen a bright beam of pure light fall from the sky and envelope Knuckles, and when it dissipated, he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3—A Quest Begins**

**The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.—Deuteronomy 31:8**

**Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.—Isaiah 40:28**

**If You ask me to run**

**And carry Your light to a foreign land**

**If You ask me to fight**

**Deliver Your people from Satan's hand**

**I'll go but I cannot go alone**

**Cuz I know I'm nothing on my own**

**But the power of Christ in me makes me strong**

**Makes me strong**

**--**_**In Me**_**, Casting Crowns**

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, painting the sky brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow, when Shadow and his new companions finished preparations to begin their quest.

Now they merely needed to decide where they should go to first in order to find what they were looking for. Surprisingly, it was Ray who thought of the most obvious choice first.

"We should go to Thyra," he suggested, then quickly explained his choice. "I mean, that's the place where the first recantations and desertions were recorded, right?"

"Right," Sally nodded approvingly. "Thyra is an exellent choice to start at. While I doubt our traitor has remained there, perhaps we can find a clue as to who it is there, and what is being done so we can combat it."

Espio bowed his head silently, showing his agreement.

"Very well," Shadow said, as the group started to walk towards the stables to get mounts to ease their journey. "Thyra it is."

* * *

Even on horseback, it took the entire morning to reach Thyra; it was early in the afternoon when they entered. It was a beautiful city; not quite so big as Delphia, but it was still a good-sized town all the same.

The King's training center in this land was one of the best. The recruits here were known to be loving and faithful, known to serve the King with perseverance despite the hardships, and were now doing more than when they had first begun; all traits that most training centers would love to emulate.

But apparently Thrya had a dark underbelly to it; for it was here that the mysterious recantations had first begun. The deceiver had started his treason here, and unfortunately the training center had not noticed until it was too late.

The group went straight to the training center; not that they had any real need to do so, but simply because it was expected for King's Citizens on journeys to go to a town's training center first. Shadow was hoping that perhaps they could find a few clues there, as well.

The foursome stopped at the gate of the center and identified themselves. Within moments the gate opened and they were escorted to the Commander's office.

The Commander of the Thyra Training Center was a pig named Porker Lewis; and though Shadow soon found that Commander Porker was just as timid if not more so than Ray, he found himself liking Lewis. He was one of the most dedicated Commanders that Shadow had ever met.

Porker invited the visitors to sit down in the extra chairs that he kept in his office for visitors. Ray and Sally graciously accepted the offer; Shadow and Espio politely declined. Shadow because after sitting on that horse all day he wished to stretch his legs; Espio simply because he preferred standing to sitting.

"Can I get you some refreshments?" Porker asked, motioning towards a jar of water that laid on his desk.

"No, thank you, Commander. We're fine," Sally shook her head, an easy smile on her face.

Porker nodded and sat down behind his desk. "I must admit this is a pleasant surprise," he said. "I wish we had more to offer, but I'm afraid we weren't expecting any more Commanders."

"We're sorry we didn't contact you, but I'm afraid this was mostly a last-minute journey," Sally explained.

Porker cocked his head. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay here for the duration of your time in Thyra," he told her.

"Thank you."

Espio, all business, had picked up on a clue that the rest of them had missed; he chose now to voice his queries. "You say you weren't expecting _more _Commanders. Have many Commanders been coming around here recently?"

Porker nodded. "Oh, yes. About three Commanders have come in the past oh, I'd say six or seven months. They stayed for awhile and helped to train here until they had to continue their journeys."

"Did they all come at once?" Shadow asked.

"No, I don't believe they did," Porker frowned, trying to remember. "There was at least a months interval between each."

Sally caught Shadow's eye and the two exchanged a glance. Shadow shook his head; while they would need to check around to make sure, he was almost positive that Porker wasn't the one they were looking for.

Porker was blissfully unaware of the silent conversation his guests were having amongst themselves. He straightened some papers on his desk and smiled up at the group. "While you're here," he said, "would you like a tour of our facilities?"

Sally smiled; a good look around might be just what they needed. "That would be just lovely."

* * *

At Shadow's request, Porker led them on the tour himself, instead of getting one of his aides to do it so he could continue his duties. Shadow felt slightly guilty at keeping Porker from his work, but the ebony hedgehog did not know who in this center was trustworthy. But he could just tell that Porker was as genuine as he seemed to be.

As Thyra's commander led them through the corridors and gave them small snippets of information concerning the grounds and the history behind them, the group kept a sharp eye out for anything suspicious. Shadow was quite pleased that Espio was with them; the chameleon seemed to have a knack for detective work and Shadow had no doubt he had observed information and possible clues that the rest of them had never even noticed.

"…And this is just about wraps up the tour," Porker chuckled as they reached a dead end. "There's really not much left to see, except perhaps the training grounds outside. Shall we continue out there?"

"Wait," Espio's eyes were narrowed as he stared at the wall in front of them. "Do you see that?" he asked Shadow.

Shadow peered intently at the wall, but saw nothing. "See what?" he asked.

"Here," Espio gestured over a portion of the wall. "The wallpaper here is darker than the rest of the wall. See it?"

Shadow, now that he had a clue as to what he was looking for, checked again. Sure enough, a small section of the wall, barely the size of a man's hand, was a darker color than the rest of it.

"That's odd," Porker mused, also noticing the darker texturing. "I've never noticed it. It's had to have been there since I first came here, because I know there hasn't been any repapering done since I've been in command."

"So, the wall's a shade darker," Ray piped up. "But what's that have to do with anything?"

Espio hushed him and walked closer to the wall. He peered intently at the darkened spot, then he reached up and gently pushed against it. At his hand's touch, the area moved inward, and then the wall opened up, revealing a long, winding stairway behind it, leading down into a darkened pit.

"Good night!" Porker exclaimed, his face making it obvious that he had had no idea that the wall did that.

Espio nodded to himself. A secret passageway that even Thyra's Commander was unaware of; this would hopefully present more than a few answers. The Chameleon noticed an unlit torch on the wall and picked it up. He walked over to a decorative, lit candle on the other side of the hallway they were in and lit it. Then he took the now lit torch and started down the stairs. His companions were hot on his heels.

* * *

The stairs went down for a long time; a winding, twisting path. Strange hieroglyphics adorned the walls, not that anyone could make any sense of them though. But the predominate one was of a beautiful woman in a white dress with her arms open wide. Although the passage itself was ancient, the images themselves appeared quite new.

"Who is this?" Shadow mused aloud after passing yet another picture of the woman.

He received no answer, as none of his companions knew either. They continued downward. Finally, however, the stairs opened up into a huge chamber and the group stepped into it.

"What is this place?" Porker asked, looking quite pale.

It looked like a grotesque mockery of the training center's assembly room. Chairs were set up in rows; all looking towards the front of the room. A black pulpit was there, with some sort of altar in front of it. Candles were set around the altar. The words, _All Hail Sophia_ were written on the altar.

"Sophia?" Sally asked quietly, her stomach feeling sick as she began to deduce who the woman was and what those who came down here was doing.

"Look," Espio had looked behind the pulpit and had found a thick paper. It looked like whoever had been behind it had left a clue.

"What does it say?" Ray asked.

Espio picked up the paper and read, "All hail Sophia, the Queen of Heaven, who saves the world and controls the King," as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he dropped the paper like it carried a fatal disease. His eyes showing his disgust, he spit upon the heretical paper.

Shadow felt as numb as the others looked. Sally seemed about to vomit. "What blasphemy is this?" she asked in horror.

But the one who took it the hardest was Porker. The man collapsed to his knees at the reading of the paper, anguish and despair in his eye. "Oh, my King! What have I allowed in my center? Under my own nose, in my own house, and I do not even know of it! Forgive me!" He then buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

"Now we know what the heresy is," Shadow said softly, looking at the paper as if it were a cobra prepared to strike him.

"But we don't know who's spreading it," Ray pointed out. He looked sick to his stomach, but he was determined to find the author of the heresy and put a stop to it.

"It _has _to be one of the three commanders who came here in the past six months," Shadow said. He looked over at Porker, the only one who knew the names of those commanders, but Lewis was far from any position to tell anyone anything. He was still sobbing loudly, heartbroken that he had missed such a grievous blasphemy that was so close he was literally walking on it. Shadow knelt next to him.

"Porker," he said gently. When Porker gave no response except another sob, Shadow grew sterner. "Commander Lewis!"

Porker gasped and looked up at Shadow. "Y-yes?"

"Who were the three Commanders who came here?" Shadow asked.

Porker blinked, as if not knowing what Shadow was talking about, but then he nodded. "Um, there was Commander Antoine D'Coolette, Commander Tommy Turtle, and Commander Julian Kintobor," he replied.

Shadow nodded silently. "Come on," he said, helping Porker up. "Let's leave this accursed place."

* * *

There was a heavy silence as the party trekked back to Porker's office. Not a sound was heard until they entered and Poker all but collapsed into his chair, looking like he had aged decades in mere moments.

Not knowing what else to do, Sally reviewed their clues. "We have three commanders and that means three suspects. Commander Turtle is in charge of the training center in Hesu. It's only a three hour journey on horseback from here; we will go there first. Does anyone know where Commander D'Coolette teaches?"

"Myrna," Ray replied. "I know because he's close enough to my training center in Thian, that sometimes we will get together and talk. I normally wouldn't even fathom Antoine as a traitor but after what I just saw…" the Flying Squirrel shook his head. "I'm not sure _what _I think anymore. But I sure hope he's innocent."

"And Kintobor teaches at Ardi," Espio added, although that was common knowledge.

"Then we will go to those towns and cities," Shadow said simply.

Sally looked over to Porker, but as he still seemed to be in shock she thought he would not realize if she asked to be excused or not. "We should go," she told her compatriots softly.

As they turned to leave, however, Porker spoke. "Wait."

Everyone turned back to him. Porker was standing now, still pale but with a determination on his features that had not been there before. "You stop this monster," he told them softly. "Don't you _dare _give up until whoever is doing this is stopped."

Shadow looked Porker in the eyes and nodded. "We won't."

Porker sighed and sat down again. "Would but that I could go with you," he said sadly. "But I have a responsibility to my center. Having failed once, now it is up to me to try to repair the damage that has been done here."

Not quite knowing how to respond, Shadow bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Porker," he said.

But Porker wasn't listening. Instead he was on his knees, not even waiting until his guests left to plead the King's forgiveness for his failure and request the guidance to make amends.

'_We will stop him, Porker,' _Shadow silently vowed as he and his party left Thyra's training center. _'King help me if I should quit before this deceiver is stopped!'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Several Bible verses in this one: for Knuckles' visions, check out Mark 12-23** **and Matthew 3:6-17. For the final vision, two Biblical passages are used; Matthew 27:39-43, 51 and John 19:30. For the dove's speech beseeching Knuckles to come to him, read Isaiah 1:18. For the description of the Prince of Peace, look in Revelation 1:13-15.**

**As for the dove, although I hope it's self-apparent, the Dove in the Bible is a manefestation of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16) The Holy Spirit is also manifested through what is described as tongues of fire (Acts 2:3-4). In Exodus 3:3-4, God speaks to Moses through a burning bush. A burning dove, within the bounds of symbolism, seems to my feeble imaginings as well within the bounds of describing the Holy Spirit, which is sent from Heaven to help Christians learn to follow God's ways (John 14:26) gives Christians the power to be God's witnesses (Acts 1:8) can speak to others through Christians (Mark 13:11) as well as teaching Christians what to say (Luke 12:12), can speak directly to Christians (Acts 13:2) and speaks to men's hearts, urging them to follow God. (Hebrews 3:7-11) **

**And also, a burning dove is awesome.**

* * *

**Chapter 4--Choose**

**This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him...--Deuteronomy 30:19-20**

**...Choose for yourselves this day who you will serve...--Joshua 24:15**

**Always looking for a sign**

**Miracles won't change your mind**

**Tell me how much evidence do you need?**

**Turning Truth into a lie**

**Hardened hearts and blinded eyes**

**All you need to do is just believe**

_**Believe, **_**Third Day**

* * *

Knuckles moaned slightly as he regained consciousness. The echidna clutched his throbbing head and berated himself for a fool. Afterwards, he started to take in his surroundings. Aside from the fact that he obviously needed to chew himself out more when the next opportunity showed itself; he learned very little of interest. He couldn't determine where he was; only where he was _not_--for Angel Isle was long gone; as was the Master Emerald and probably any form of sentient life within a billion mile radius save himself.

Presently, Knuckles found himself in a small rounded clearing, surrounded on all sides by multitudes of trees without end. The red-furred guardian sighed and rubbed his head, which was still pounding in his ears. His question no doubt caused the Master Emerald to overload his mind with images and information that frankly, his body was not equipped to hand. This had happened once before, many years ago when he had first met other sentient creatures and was trying to understand why Eggman would want to misuse the Master Emerald's power.

Sonic the Hedgehog, in response to his question, had replied, "Because he's evil, duh!" and ran off; but this had confused Knuckles even more. So he had gone to the Master Emerald, and, in an attempt to understand, had asked what evil was.

The backlash he had experienced from the Emerald had decidedly _*NOT* _been pleasant. But the worst part had been the aftermath, because the Emerald had 'downloaded' its knowledge of the subject of evil into Knuckles' mind, and he had had visions about the causes and effects of evil for months afterwards as delayed reactions in his mind played back the knowledge little by little as he had been able to stand it.

He still had nightmares...

Knuckles knew he would probably not enjoy the next few days, or however long it would take for the Master Emerald to appropriately 'show him God.' He was a moron. He should have known not to ask deep philosophical questions to the Emerald. They led to nothing but trouble.

Almost as if his mind had been waiting for him to recall exactly why he hated Emerald-produced visions, his vision blurred and his body started to feel like lead holding him down.

"Crud," was Knuckles' last conscious thought before the vision overwhelmed him.

* * *

_Knuckles suddenly found himself surrounded on all sides by a loud, boisterous crowd of people. He was in some sort of city, and in front of him, where all the people were more or less facing, was some sort of podium in front of a large mansion-esque building._

_"What's happening?" Knuckles tried in vain to make himself heard over the crowd. He whirled in all directions, trying to gain his bearings. "What's going on?"_

_"There!" called a man standing near him, who's voice was also nearly inaudible in the sea of voices surrounding them. He wasn't looking at Knuckles; so the echidna assumed that he merely spoke to himself for some strange reason. "There's Pilate."_

_Knuckles looked back to the podium and saw a man he assumed must be Pilate. He was obviously someone who had some influence; like perhaps a govenor or a judge._

_Pilate motioned behind him and two guards brought a prisoner forward--an evil looking man with a cruel sneer on his face. After he ascended the podium, the guards started to bring another Man foward._

_Even though Knuckles was unable to get a good glimpse of the Man as he had not fully ascended the podium, Knuckles instinctively KNEW that _something_was different about him. His breath caught in his throat and he leaned forward, eager to get a good look at this Man, when some jerk in front of him decided to move so that the only thing he could see was the guy's backside._

_"Hey!" Knuckles protested in indignation, trying to get around the man but unable too because of the crowd. "Move! I can't see what's going on!"_

_But his demands were ignored, and the flustered Echidna was reduced to trying to figure out what was going on using only his ears. Finally, after what seemed like a small eternity to him, the crowd hushed somewhat, and Knuckles heard someone--probably that Pilate guy--start to speak._

_"You brought me this Man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against Him. Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; as you can see, He has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish Him and then release Him."_

_All of a sudden, Knuckles heard a horrible roar, like an enraged beast was screaming, so loud it drowned out _everything_else. Knuckles didn't know what was more unbelievable, the noise itself or the fact that no one else seemed to hear it. The echidna whirled, trying to pinpoint the sound, and his jaw dropped when he saw that a freakin' DRAGON was curled around the edges of the crowd!_

_It was huge; so large that its body, while curled, nearly circled the entire crowd around the podium twice. It was as red as blood; and had seven heads, each had a horn right right in the center of the forehead, save the middle head, which had four horns upon it, for a total of ten horns. A crown was on each head; a total of seven crowns. Its tail was so long that Knuckles wouldn't have found it at all hard to believe a single flick from it could have reached the stars themselves and hurled them down from the heavens. _

_Needless to say, it was monstrous to behold. And while Knuckles knew that some people nowadays envisioned dragons as heroic and lovable, it was obvious that those people had never seen this particular dragon. For this dragon was to Spyro what a prehistoric T-Rex was to Barney. _

_And right now, it was plain to see that this particular dragon was as mad as all get-out._

_"No!" the dragon raged in fury. "The Prince will not escape me this time!" With that vow, its heads started to weave and bob hypnotically; each one weaved its way through the crowd, muttering softly._

_To Knuckles' surprise, the crowd instantly started to speak aloud what the dragon spoke softly._

_"Away with this man!" The dragon spoke quietly, and the crowd screamed deafeningly. "Release Barabbas to us!"_

_Pilate spoke again, sounding greatly distressed. He was trying to change the crowd's mind; but they would have none of it. Knuckles saw they were trapped in the web of the dragon, who wanted the Prince's blood, whoever the Prince may be._

_"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The dragon incited the crowd to cry._

_A third time Pilate spoke. "Why? What crime has He committed? I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have Him punished and then release Him."  
By now, the dragon seemed more than a little put-out with this Pilate character and his desire to spare its enemy, the Prince. He upped his antics; his head bobbed frantically now and he was roaring, "Crucify Him!" at the top of his voice._

_The crowd, also, started to scream, chanting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"_

_The noise was now so loud that Knuckles' ears felt as if they would burst. In a futile and desperate attempt to save his hearing, Knuckles clasped his hands over them and curled in a fetal position on the ground._

_"Stop it!" he cried, unable to stand the noise. "Stop it! SHUT UP!"_

* * *

And he gasped and sat upright in the clearing where he'd first awoke. The crowd was gone; the dragon was gone; the podium and the Pilate, Barabbas, and the Prince was gone. Knuckles was relieved; but also disappointed. He'd so wanted to look at the Prince's face; he'd felt that He was someone immensely special, and apparently that dragon had agreed and saught to get rid of Him.

So who was He? Had the dragon gotten his wish? Or had Pilate managed to break the dragon's hold upon the crowd? And what did any of that have to do with seeing God? So many questions...

A small coo jolted him from his revere and he turned to see what caused it. About five feet from where he sat was a small, white dove.

And it was on _fire._

"What the heck?!" Knuckles was, obviously, more than a little freaked by now. He had every right to be; he'd been ripped from his Island to who knows where, subjected to strange and confusing visions, and was now watching a burning bird sitting and cooing up at him, as if they were at a park bench and it was waiting for breadcrumbs, instead of shrieking and dying, like any decent bird should do when it's set on fire.

Indeed, if Knuckles could guess, he would have to say that the dove seemed rather comfortable being on fire, as if it was a fun and pleasant experience.

He couldn't handle this. The echidna stood, aware that the bird was watching his every movement. He stared at it for awhile, but as it continued to be on fire and not die, and he wasn't spontaniously combusting or anything, he ventured to ask it a question. "I don't suppose you know where the nearest directory is, do you?"

The bird cocked its head; it actually seemed amused. **"Yes."**

Knuckles' blood seemed to freeze. It hadn't just...No, of course not. Its lips weren't actually moving; and the word hadn't actually been audible. It was more like he'd heard it in his head. Still..."Did you...speak to me?"

The burning dove nodded. **"Yes."**

He really couldn't handle this. Without even bothering to wonder how it was possible that a dove could be on fire and not burn up and somehow be sentient and probably psychic--how else could it project its words into his head?--Knuckles turned and started to run.

Knuckles wasn't sure how long he'd been running. Long enough to get short of breath and to make his legs feel like jelly; and he was in remarkable shape. He turned a sharp corner and suddenly pulled up short. His way was being blocked by a man in brilliant white. At least; he had supposed he was a man at first; but the large white wings he had suggested otherwise, however. He was dressed in white and had a gold tassel; his hair was black as a raven's and long. A golden band adorned the top of it. The angel was certainly magnificant and not on fire (an important fact, Knuckles thought) but for some reason the echidna felt...uneasy...looking upon the angel; something didn't seem to sit right.

Knuckles looked back over his shoulder and to his great displeasure there was the burning dove. It wasn't any closer to him; but he hadn't lost it either. He'd run himself ragged and it looked as if it wasn't the least bit winded. He'd probably never elude it on his own; he could keep running sure, but he could never out run the dove.

The angel looked at him with eyes the color of steel, then at the dove. His eyes widened in recognition, then he turned back to Knuckles. "It's a good thing I found you before it caught you, Echidna," he said, and his voice was smooth and pleasant to listen too.

"Who are you?" Knuckles demanded. "Where am I? And what is that...that thing?!" He pointed to the dove, who was watching him intently.

**"I AM, Knuckles," **The dove resounded in his head.

Knuckles winced at the intrusion; it wasn't painful or anything but it was in his head. "You are what?" he asked, feeling frustrated.

The dove looked at him knowingly. **"What do you need?"**

The echidna growled. "I don't have any time for riddles! What's going ON around here?"

This time the angel answered him. "I am Lucifer," he told Knuckles gently. "The dove is evil. If it takes you, your soul will be lost forever. Quickly, take my hand, and I will see to it the dove will never have you."

Knuckles looked at Lucifer's pro-offered hand. He had no reason to distrust Lucifer...but then, he had no reason to believe him, either. He paused, considered his offer, and bit his lower lip. He couldn't get over the feeling he'd seen this Lucifer before...where? Where had he seen this Angel of Light?

**"Knuckles," **The dove again. Knuckles felt he'd never get used to its voice in his head. **"Lucifer is the father of lies, and the truth is not within him. He disguises himself seeking to decieve. He would destroy you if he could. Come to Me, Knuckles. Come, let us reason together. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."**

Knuckles stared at the dove incredulously. "Look, I just want to know what is going on!" he finally snapped.

**"There is a war raging for your soul, Knuckles," **the dove explained. **"And it has come to the point where you can stall no longer. You must choose now who you will serve, and the choice is yours alone to make."**

Knuckles rubbed his head. What exactly, had he gotten himself into? 'Leave the Master Emerald alone, you idiot!' he practically screamed to himself.

"Knuckles," It was Lucifer again. "The bird is correct about one thing; there is a war going on. I have been fighting the corrupt creature for centuries now. Join me, Knuckles! Let me help you!" The angel smiled brighter, his hand seeming a little more enticing.

Knuckles felt compelled to listen to Lucifer. He started to take the angel's hand...and then he remembered. He knew where he'd seen this angel before.

It was during his Emerald visions, when it was showing him evil. He'd seen thousands of images; each vision was different than the last, each showing him a different aspect of evil. He'd seen babies being killed, men stealing from others, men cheating on their wives, wives cheating on their husbands, women slandering innocent people through gossip, children stealing money from their parents and grandparents, attempted genocides, and still more that he wished he had never learned of.

But each vision had one thing in particular in common: Each one showed an angel of light, with raven black hair and steel eyes, enticing men to do evil. Rejoicing when they gave in to him, furious when they resisted. The very embodiment of evil. The father of evil.

The ultimate answer to Knuckles' question, "What is Evil?" was standing before him, asking him to take his hand.

Lucifer was Evil.

Knuckles still wasn't sure about the dove, but Lucifer was evil. It would be a cold day in the devil's domain before he willingly joined him, the echidna decided defiantly.

Knuckles withdrew his hand, glaring at the angel angrily. "Buzz off!" he told him.

The gentleness flew from Lucifer's face; replaced with a cold-hearted malevolence the likes of which Knuckles had never seen. His skill grew pale, and his eyes turned a sickening yellow color. A loud crack was heard, and small lines appeared upon the angel's flesh, reminding Knuckles of the way a snake looked when it started shedding its skin.

"You will join me," Lucifer spoke, and his voice was no longer soothing and smooth. It was loud, eerie, and sounded like a snake hissing. "You will join me because I own you, Echidna! You are MINE!"

Knuckles' eyes widened in horror as Lucifer's skin finally split into, and the creature inside started to grow. Here was Lucifer's true form; now towering towards the sky and roaring in defiance.

Lucifer was the dragon from Knuckles' vision. The echidna barely had time to register that fact before the dragon's paw shot out like lightning, striking Knuckles in the chest. Luckily his claws weren't used, or Knuckles would be dead. But even so, the force of the blow was so fierce it knocked the breath from the echidna's body and he hit the ground, the dragon stepping so that one paw was atop of Knuckles body, so he could not move.

"You're mine, Knuckles!" Lucifer taunted. "Mine, and if you will not join me in life, you will join me in death! You are mine!" With that, he raised another hand, this time preparing for a fatal blow.

Knuckles was panicking. He knew he could not fight off this dragon, not without help. To his panicked brain, he fully believed that only God Almighty Himself could possibly stop this beast right now when he needed help; and the only god he knew anything about was the God of Sonic the Hedgehog.

As the dragon prepared to strike, the panicked echidna cried out to the God of Sonic. "Lord God save me!"

The dragon screamed in anger and began to strike...Knuckles prepared himself for the fatal blow...

...Which never came. Lucifer's claws were being held back by a Man. But not a Man; Knuckles knew this right away. This Man was dressed in a robe that reached to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet looked like bronze glowing in a furnace, and when he spoke to the dragon his voice sounded like rushing waters.

"Back off, Satan," He ordered Lucifer. "Knuckles the Echidna is Mine, now."

"No!" Lucifer screamed. "No, no! I want him! I will have him! I will have his soul!"

"I said, he is Mine." This time, for emphasis, the Newcomer reached out and cuffed Lucifer's middle head. The blow, while it looked to Knuckles to cause Him no more effort than it would for the echidna to gently slap a two-year-old on the wrist, caused Lucifer to be knocked backwards and tumble head-over heels.

"Now GO!"

At the command, Lucifer screamed and squirmed in agony, then the dragon took to the hills, trying to get as far away from this Man as he could.

Knuckles, no longer restrained, tried to get to his feet, but just his luck, he somehow triggered another Emerald vision and blacked out.

* * *

_This time, Knuckles found himself next to a river bank. There was another crowd here; a smaller one this time. And they were all silent, listening to someone out knee-deep in the river. The guy looked wild; his hair was long and uncombed, he was wearing some sort of animal hide that made him look even fiercer. He was pointing towards the crowd and ranting._

_"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."_

_OK. Apparently, everyone had come out here to listen to a wild-looking man in the river chew them out. Knuckles had NO idea who Abraham was, but judging from the size of the crowd he certainly did have a lot of kids. And a woodcutter was involved somehow._

_Boy, just once, he'd really appreciate being told what was going on around him._

_But the wild man was still talking. Perhaps if he listened he'd be able to put the pieces together._

_"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come One who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and he will clear His threshing floor, gathering the wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."_

_Well, that helped. Now he knew Someone very important was coming who apparently used a fork to gather wheat and burned chaff. Knuckles was still as much in the dark now as when he first got here! _

_Another Man broke from the crowd. His back was turned to Knuckles so the echidna couldn't see His face; but Knuckles instantly recognized the Man as the one from the podium. This was the Prince that Lucifer the Dragon hated so much. That in itself was great proof that this Man was Someone Knuckles could become great friends with, the echidna thought, grinning to himself._

_The Prince walked out to the man in the water and spoke something softly to him. They were so far out that unless they were yelling no one on shore could hear them. Whatever was said, the wild man looked distressed. He shook his head no, and said something back that Knuckles' couldn't make out. _

_The Prince responded, and the wild man nodded, then he dunked the Prince in the water. Knuckles had to assume that was what the Prince wanted him to do; no wonder he was protesting! Although why the Prince would want someone to shove His head under the water was beyond Knuckles. Hopefully he could meet this Prince and ask him later, provided this vision lasted long enough._

_When the Prince emerged from the river, the sky seemed to fold back--it was the only way Knuckles could describe it. A dove--a dove?!--flew out of _NOWHERE_ and landed on the Prince's shoulder._

_And a loud voice boomed from the sky. "__**THIS IS MY BELOVED SON, WHOM I LOVE; I AM WELL PLEASED WITH HIM."**_

_And then the world around Knuckles went black again._

* * *

_When Knuckles regained his senses, he was more than a little surprised to see that he was in the midst of yet another vision. This stunned him as he had never had two visons in a row before. But there was nothing he could do except look around and see what there was to see._

_He was in the midst of yet another crowd, and it was pitch dark around him. There was a hill in front of him; the rock formation within it was such that if Knuckles squinted and used his imagination, he could swear it looked like a human skull. Atop it were three crude wooden things that were shaped like a lower-case t. Something was on each wooden thing; but at this distance he couldn't make out what._

_Curious and wanting a better look, Knuckles started walking towards the hill. As he walked he couldn't help but overhear what the people around him were saying._

_"You who are going to destroy the temple in three days and build it again, save Yourself! Come down from the cross, if You are the Son of God!"_

_"He saved others, but He can't save Himself! He's the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him, for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"_

_Knuckles frowned. Son of God...that sounded familiar. Where had he...oh, yeah, he remembered. Sonic used to say it ALL the time. 'Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He died on the cross for our sins.' How could he have forgotten that? Sonic only told him like, once every forty-five minutes, it seemed._

_But even so, it seemed like he could remember hearing something similar more recently. Like...like when the Prince was getting dunked in the water. A voice from the sky...from heaven...God's voice? "This is my beloved son..."_

_...But that meant...if the man who was to die is the Son of God...if the Prince that Lucifer hates is the Son of God...If Jesus is the Son of God who died for man's sins...then...the Prince was Jesus...and Jesus was dying._

_The Prince was dying on top of that hill._

_"No!" Knuckles shrieked, his pulse starting to race. "This can't be happening!"_

_The echidna took off in a flat run, trying to reach the top of the hill, hoping that he was wrong, even though he knew deep down he wasn't. he reached the top and looked at the men--for they were men--who were nailed to a hunk of wood known as a cross. The ones on the left and right of the center; neither was Him. He held his breath and looked at the One in the center._

_At first, he figured it couldn't be the Prince. The thing on this cross barely looked human; He was so beaten and bloody He rather looked like raw hamburger meat and blood. _

_But then He spoke, and His voice was unmistakable._

_"It is finished!" the Prince cried, and then he was dead._

_"No!" Knuckles collapsed to his knees, remembering everything Sonic had told him._

_ "All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God...so He sent His Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins that we may have life...for forgiveness..."_

_Sin is evil. Whoever sins, does evil. Evil cannot enter heaven. Lucifer was the father of evil. Whoever does evil belongs to Lucifer. Because Knuckles did evil and belonged to Lucifer, the Prince had to die to save him. The Prince died _because _of him, to save him._

_Because of him, the Prince was dead. He had not chanted 'crucify Him' nor had he driven the nails in His hands. But he might as well have. Because of his sin, the Prince died, and so he was just as guilty of the death of the Prince as if he had killed Him personally. Realizing all this in a a single instant, _

_"I'm sorry," Knuckles sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me, I'm sorry..." _

_It must be too late. The prince was was dead, and the dead cannot forgive. _

Knuckles found himself back in the clearing, still on his knees, still sobbing, "I'm sorry," and knowing it was too late.

Someone took his shoulder, and Knuckles looked up at the hand. His eyes widened. A hole marked it, as if it had been pierced by a nail. No way. It wasn't possible...was...could He...

"You are forgiven. Your sins are no more," the Man said, and His voice was unmistakable.

Knuckles looked up, to see the Man who had come to his defence when he had cried to God for help. He was no longer beaten and bloody; his face glowed with majesty and splendor. But Knuckles recognized Him.

"You!" He cried with delight. "You're OK!"

The Prince laughed as Knuckles practically threw himself on Him, wrapping Him in a hug that the Prince happily returned. "Do you believe I exist now, Knuckles?" the Prince asked.

"I'm not THAT stubborn," Knuckles protested. "Of course I do!"

The Prince nodded. "Because you see me, you believe me. But blessed are those who don't see me, and have little or no proof that I exist, and choose to believe in me anyway."

"How are You still alive?" Knuckles asked him, bewildered even in his delight.

The Prince cocked His head, looking amused. "I know Sonic told you the whole story, Knuckles. Surely you haven't forgotten?"

Knuckles felt his face grow hot as he remembered the rest of Sonic's explanation. _Three days later, he rose from the dead._ Instead of asking more questions that he probably knew the answers too, he decided to ask one that he knew he didn't know at all. "So, what's with the dove?"

The Prince laughed. "The dove is My Holy Spirit, sent to draw all men to Me, and to teach and comfort them as they go through life, showing them how to serve Me."

"Wow," Knuckles said, looking over at the dove. It was no longer on fire, and nodded at him, but then looked back to the Prince, silently informing him that the Prince, and the Prince alone, deserved his attention at this moment. Knuckles took the hint and directed his attention to the One who should rightfully be the center of it.

He asked another question. "Who was that who spoke from the sky in my vision?" He did not explain further; he knew that the Prince understood what he meant.

"My Father, the King," The Prince explained. "And your Father also, now. By My Blood I have purchased you into the family of God, a joint heir with me."

That was more than a little bewildering to Knuckles. God Almighty was now his Father? This really had been one heck of a day. "So..." Knuckles' mind was whirling. "...Now what?"

The Prince paused, looking him over. "Now, follow Me," he instructed. "And keep your focus upon Me, even if you aren't able to see me with your physical eyes. Will you do that?"

Knuckles nodded silently. The Prince smiled. "Good. My peace be with you, and my Spirit I leave with you, to teach and help you." He gently laid a hand atop Knuckles' head for a moment, and then he turned and was gone.

Knuckles took a deep breath and looked over to the dove, who gave a small coo and took to the air, flying to Knuckles' shoulder and perching on it. "Are you ready to follow, Knuckles?" he asked.

Knuckles gave an affirmative. "Yeah...um...sir..."

The dove chuckled. "Then continue along this path until you reach the first town, and do not waiver to the right or the left."

"Uh, ok," Knuckles replied agreeably, beginning his journey.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5—Counting the Cost**

**Don't trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost—Proverbs 20:25 (NLT)**

**Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.—Mathew 10:37-39**

**Your choice is black or white, not a shade of gray**

**Because in love, there's no such thing as halfway**

**Devotion can't be swayed, emotions can't be torn**

**He'd rather we be hot or cold than lukewarm**

**Bring the Father all your soul**

**There's freedom in the letting go**

_**-Give it Up, **_**Avalon**

* * *

"So, what is it that I need to do again?" Knuckles asked as he followed the Spirit through the woods.

**"Keep your focus on the Prince of Peace," **the Spirit commanded. **"And follow."**

Knuckles waited but the Spirit seemed to be done speaking. "…And that's it?" he prompted.

Ditto in the 'not answering' department. Knuckles frowned, but nevertheless he simply followed the Spirit as the Dove flew farther down the path. Finally they came to a sharp curve and as soon as they passed it, the echidna saw something he had despaired ever seeing again.

"The Master Emerald shrine!" Knuckles gasped in delight. It was right in front of them, and at the top was the Master Emerald. Knuckles wasn't sure how it had gotten here, and he really didn't care, either. The important thing was, the Emerald was back with him, and now he could resume his duties to protect it.

The Spirit flew overhead him in a large circle; then finally landed just behind him. The Dove cooed softly.

"You led me back to the Master Emerald," Knuckles said aloud, thrilled. "I can't thank You en—"

"Knuckles."

Knuckles' pulse started to race as he heard the Prince's voice coming from behind him. Knuckles turned eagerly, to see that the Prince was indeed standing behind him. But something seemed strange; the Prince looked…sad?

"Yes?"

"Do you love Me?"

Knuckles was taken aback by the question. "What? Of course I do!" he blurted out; meaning every word. "I mean, how could I not?"

"Do you love Me more than the Master Emerald?"

Knuckles' breath caught as he suddenly realized what the Prince was asking. The Echidna's mouth opened, but he could not answer.

The Prince wasn't taking indecision for an answer, though. He repeated his question. "Do you love Me more than the Master Emerald?"

Knuckles' mind whirled. For some reason he felt he had to explain to the Prince just why he was so obsessed with the Master Emerald; even though deep down he felt that the Prince already knew.

"Protecting the Master Emerald is the only reason I exist," Knuckles explained, hearing the desperation he felt seep into his voice. "Ever since I was a child, I'm the last of the Echindas—the last of the Guardians. If I ever let it fall into the wrong hands, the destruction that would happen would be astronomical. It could even mean the end of everything. Protecting the Emerald has always been my top priority."

The Prince was silent for a long moment, looking into Knuckles' eyes intently. Finally, he spoke again. "But do you love Me more than you love the Master Emerald?"

"Are…You're not…You can't be asking me to give up the Master Emerald for You!" Knuckles cried, feeling sick. "That's not fair!"

**"Is My way unjust?" **The Spirit demanded. **"Is it not your ways that are unjust?"**

The Prince, however, simply looked at Knuckles, demanding nothing but the answer to his question. "Do you love Me more than you love the Master Emerald?"

"Why does it matter?" Knuckles asked, his mind whirling with the agony of being pulled between the Emerald, who had been his master from childhood, and the Prince, who he had agreed to serve in adulthood.

**"No man can serve two masters," **The Spirit replied.

"Knuckles," The Prince spoke again. "I know you are sincere and you have made Me your Savior—but I want to be your Lord, as well."

"Why are you asking me to make this choice?" Knuckles asked Him.

The Prince looked at him gravelly. "Because I love you so much I gave up everything I had for you—My throne, My glory, My dignity, My very life—and My greatest desire is for you to love Me that much as well. More than anything, I want you to love Me so much that you are willing to lay down your own life for Me."

"Can't I do that _while_ I protect the Master Emerald?" Knuckles asked.

The Prince's reply was short and to the point. "How can you give Me your life if you've already given it to your Emerald? Is it truly more important to you than Me? Do you really love protecting your Emerald more than you love Me?"

Knuckles opened his mouth to answer, but then his eyes fell upon the Prince's hands; upon the holes that spoke of the horrors the Prince had put himself through so Knuckles wouldn't have to go through them.

The Prince gave up Heaven, where He ruled in glory, to become a human being who was poor and hated.

The Prince allowed Himself to be tortured until he was no longer recognizable as human.

The Prince allowed those who were torturing Him to strip him naked and then gamble for his clothes in the middle of the street.

The Prince allowed them to kill him by the most cruel, inhumane, painful method of death ever devised by man: crucifixion.

All the Prince had to do in order to put a stop to this was to say a word. One word and it would have stopped. The torment, the humiliation, the agony…by one word He could have spared Himself.

But He never spoke that word. He _allowed_ them to torture Him, to humiliate Him, to kill Him without a second thought. Nobody _took _His life; He had_ given_ it away Himself. He had literally given EVERYTHING He was capable of giving.

Was it really fair for Knuckles to take what the Prince had given and give nothing at all in return? To not even try? The Prince wasn't even demanding him to give up the Master Emerald; He was simply wanting to know if He was more important than it. He had proven that Knuckles was more important to Him than everything else; it was PERFECTLY fair for Him to want to know that Knuckles felt the same way about Him.

It was _Knuckles_' decision whether or not he should give up the Master Emerald. Was he capable of guarding the Master Emerald without making it his top priority? Could he watch it but not make it the most important thing in his life?

If he was truly honest with himself, Knuckles had to admit the answer was no. He had an obsessive nature; if he did something he put all his time and effort into doing it. If he really tried to serve both the Master Emerald and the Prince, he would wind up doing a lousy job of both. For him; it was one or the other. He could not serve two masters. It was easy to choose between the Prince and Lucifer; one was good and one was evil. One wanted to save him and the other wanted kill him. The Master Emerald wasn't inherently evil, however. It was capable of great good—and indeed, Knuckles had used it for great good. But was it really more important to him than the Prince?

"I…I _want _You to be first in my life," Knuckles admitted to the Prince, his eyes shut tight as if by not looking he could spare himself from having to deal with this latest dilemma. "I want…I want…"

Suddenly his eyes snapped open, delight shining within them as he suddenly decided what he would do. Without a word, he turned and raced up the steps to the Master Emerald. He grabbed it from its perch and carried it back down to the Prince. Carefully, gingerly, he laid it at the Prince's feet.

"I want You to have this," he said quietly, bowing before the Prince.

After a moment, Knuckles felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the Prince smiling at him. "Thank you," the Prince said.

Knuckles smiled back. "You're welcome."

* * *

Later, as Knuckles continued following the Spirit deeper into the forest, he decided he had made the right decision. A burden he hadn't realized he'd been carrying seemed to have lifted from his shoulders since he released the Master Emerald. It felt liberating not obsessing over it. He had more important things to obsess over now, anyway.

Like discovering more ways to please the Prince, for example.

Knuckles and the Spirit walked to the top of a large hill. From that vantage point, Knuckles could see a small cottage standing off a little ways from there.

**"Do you see that house?"** The Spirit asked.

"Yes," Knuckles admitted.

**"Good. It belongs to a walrus named Rotor. I have a gift for you, and have instructed him to prepare it."**

Knuckles looked bewildered. "A gift?"

**"Go to the house and find Rotor. Tell him your name and he will give you the gift," **The Spirit instructed. **"You will need it for the journey ahead of us."**

"Us? You'll be staying with me during my whole journey?" Knuckles asked, feeling pleased at the discovery.

The Spirit looked at him knowingly. **"I AM always with you, Knuckles."**

The echidna nodded and started down the hill.

* * *

It wasn't long before Knuckles was knocking on the door of the cottage. It was soon opened by a walrus Knuckles assumed was Rotor.

"Yes?" Rotor asked.

As instructed, Knuckles calmly stated, "My name is Knuckles."

Rotor's eyes widened and he opened the door. "Come in," he said. "I've been waiting for you. Your armor is on the table."

"Armor?" Knuckles asked as he walked inside. Then his eyes fell upon the table and his jaw dropped as he saw the items laid out on it. "This…this is Echidnan armor!" he cried in delight, taking in the armor on the table. There were a few pieces of Echidnan armor on Angel Isle, but most of it was ruined beyond repair. This armor, however, was in perfect condition. "Where did you find this?"

"The King sent me the designs for it," Rotor replied. "Would you like to put it on now?"

Knuckles grinned, his excitement showing in his eyes. "Can I?"

"It's yours," Rotor pointed out.

Knuckles nodded, only half-hearing Rotor in his excitement. He grabbed his armor and dashed into a back room to try it on.

Rotor shook his head in mild amusement and turned to his forge, heating up a large piece of metal. He finally got the metal to go a bright reddish/yellow color. He pulled it out of the forge and checked it critically.

The door to the back room opened and he heard his new guest clear his throat. "What do you think?" Knuckles asked, and Rotor turned to see him.

Knuckles' Helmet was a golden face mask which covered his entire head. Only his red dreadlocks could be seen, coming down out of his Helmet. The mask Helmet followed the curvature of his face, a white film was over the slots for his eyes so that Knuckles could see out but no one could see the color of his pupils. An ornate U shape was upon the center of the Helmet, the base starting at where his eyebrows would be and the tips ending just above his forehead. A white diamond was framed above the base of the U, directly in the center of his head.

His Breastplate was a white material that looked silk; but was stronger than a bullet-proof vest. The cloth covered his entire upper body, including his arms and hands. Golden bands were around his wrists. A golden gorgerin, which is an assembly of metal discs which was tied by strings on one's back, was around his neck, and was large enough to cover the entire top half of his chest, adding that much more protection. His Belt of Truth was securely around his waist.

His Shoes of Peace were very strange. They started at his waist, right under his Belt of Truth were two white tassels with golden tips upon them. These tassels were attached to a garb that many males in the ancient echidna race wore quite frequently, known as a shendyt; nowadays one seeing him would mistakenly think he was wearing a skirt made with golden cloth. His legs and tail were covered with the same white material that covered his upper body and his arms; golden bands covered his knees and his ankles, and his feet were covered by golden metal shoes.

Knuckles had found—to his great surprise and pleasure—that his Sword of the Spirit turned out to be ivory Knuxgloves even stronger than his old pair. His Shield of Faith was a small golden ring that was around his index finger; by touching the middle of the ring he activated a green energy field that completely surrounded and protected him.

Rotor had seen thousands of different types of armor in his lifetime; but even he was slightly taken aback by how formidable Knuckles looked. "I should not like to quarrel with you," he said honestly.

Knuckles nodded slowly; but it was impossible for Rotor to tell if he was smiling or not. The Helmet hid any facial expressions the Echidna may have had. "Thank you."

Rotor shook his head. "If you wish to thank someone, thank the King. It was He who gave you this armor. I should never have thought to make something like it in a million years were it not for His blueprints. But unless I am very much mistaken, you have a long journey ahead of you and my speech is holding you up." The walrus walked over to the door and opened it. "May the King grant you a safe journey."

Knuckles nodded again, walking out the door. He paused just outside and turned back to Rotor. "May He grant you safety as well," he informed the walrus, afterwards he turned and walked off.

Rotor waved after him for a short while and then went back in to see what he could do about that piece of metal before the heat left it and he had to put it back into the furnace again.

* * *

The Spirit had waited for Knuckles outside the cottage. The Echidna stopped in front of the Dove. "Where do we go now?" he asked.

The Spirit took flight and flew until He and Knuckles were at eye level. Then He turned and motioned towards the horizon. **"Do you see that place?" **

Knuckles squinted and shaded his eyes, looking hard to see if he could glimpse their destination. "No," he finally admitted. "I can't."

**"It is a town," **The Spirit informed him. **"And that is our next destination."**

"How do I get there?" Knuckles asked. "I can't even see it."

**"Follow me,"** The Dove instructed. **"I will lead you there."**

With that, the Spirit took off again, and Knuckles dutifully followed Him to his next stop, wherever it might be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5—Trust and Obey**

**Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, oh LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.—Psalms 9:10**

**It is the LORD your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him.—Deuteronomy 13:4**

**Trust and obey**

**For there's no other way**

**To be happy in Jesus**

**But to trust and obey**

**-**_**Trust and Obey**_**, John H. Sammis **

* * *

It was a boring trip. If he wasn't careful, he would fall asleep in the saddle.

Shadow yawned lazily as his horse did his walking for him, the movements of the animal's hips enhancing the desire to doze. He was unwilling to do so; as Ray had dozed off half an hour ago and had promptly fell of his horse. Luckily the squirrel hadn't been injured; but it provided a rather embarrassing situation that Shadow had no desire to imitate.

Besides, they were closing in on their destination anyway. Hesu was less than a mile off now; they'd reach it soon. Shadow had traveled this pathway before; soon they would come to a crossroads. Going straight ahead would take them to Hesu. If they turned to the left, they would eventually reach Myrna, which was their second stop. Hesu was closer to them though, so that's where they had decided to go first.

As the crossroads came into view, Espio quickly drew the reigns on his horse, causing the animal to stop abruptly. "Someone is ahead," he warned.

Shadow peered intently at the crossroad and could just make out the form of a person sitting in the grass slightly off to the side. At this distance it was impossible to tell if the person was friend or foe. Shadow's hand fell to the hilt of his sword—just in case—as they rode closer.

As they came closer, it became apparent that the man was dressed in King's Armor. It was a very peculiar type; but there were many who wore strange armor in the King's Army.

"Who is that?" Sally asked. "I've never seen him before."

"Don't sound so surprised," Espio replied. "I'm sure there are thousands of King's Citizens we've never met."

Sally looked taken aback. "Well…of course! I never meant…" She trailed off then, as they were now drawing close to the stranger. He had noticed them and had stood up, looking at them intently. Shadow felt unnerved as he looked into the white film which covered the stranger's eyes. It seemed unnatural for a helmet which showed none of the warrior's face; not even the true color of his eyes. Red dreadlocks flowing from under his helmet were the only clue as to what the warrior may look like; everything else was covered in some way.

"Hello," Sally told him kindly. "My name is Commander Sally Acorn. Might I inquire as to yours?"

The man seemed to be sizing her up. "Knuckles," he finally replied. He spoke nothing else; Shadow figured he must either be very rude or simply lacking in social skills. He didn't know enough about Knuckles to tell just yet. But…something about this warrior seemed familiar…it brought him back to a time he had nearly forgotten…

Perhaps one might think it incredible that Commander Shadow the Hedgehog would forget about the time he had met Knuckles; or rather, his dimension's version of Knuckles. But ten years had a way of making memories fade; and Shadow had little reason to try to retain a memory of someone he had seen only once in a time span of less than a minute and forty seconds (For he had not had the luxury of studying Knuckles' features as a demon had been trying to kill him at the time). And even if he had, the armor Knuckles now wore hid his features so well that even the echidna's closest friends would have a hard time recognizing him.

For Knuckles' own part, to say he was shocked to see Shadow riding up to him on a horse would have been a severe understatement. But by the time the group had gotten close enough for Sally to call him, he had managed to pull himself together and the shock dimmed, allowing the inherent mistrust he had of Shadow come to the surface.

It wasn't that Knuckles didn't like Shadow (the one in his home dimension, I mean). It was simply that the echidna could never figure out where Shadow's loyalties lied. Everyone else in his world followed a pattern that he could deduce. Sonic wanted to save the world. Eggman wanted domination. Rouge wanted the emeralds. Shadow wanted… something. Nothing. Everything. While everyone else seemed as single-minded as Knuckles about their own goals and their actions were designed to help them achieve them, Shadow's goals and actions were constantly in a state of flux.

And how, exactly, could Knuckles bring himself to trust someone whose desires and goals changed each time he saw him? One minute Shadow was his ally, the next, his enemy.

So Knuckles was always on his guard around Shadow so as not to be taken by surprise. And while he definitely had questions as to what Shadow was doing here and where he had gotten that horse, his wariness caused him to forgo voicing his questions. So he simply waited for them to address him.

Sally's companions introduced themselves, to which Knuckles nodded in acknowledgement that he'd heard them, after which Sally inquired as to where he was going.

Knuckles was silent for awhile, probably wishing he knew his own destination so he could answer something halfway intelligent. Finally, however, he just shrugged. "I'm going that way," he informed them, nodding down the road he was traveling.

"To Myrna?" Espio inquired.

Knuckles shrugged again. "Not sure. I guess I'll figure that out when I get there," he replied.

"You don't know your own destination?" Ray asked incredulously.

"No," Knuckles replied truthfully. "I'm just following the road until I get to wherever I'm going."

"How will you know when you have arrived at your destination?" Espio asked him.

The echidna looked bemused; or at least as bemused as one could while wearing a full face mask. "Trust me, if you knew of the things I've experienced lately, you wouldn't ask that question," he said cryptically, his gaze seeming to go past them, farther down the road he was traveling. Shadow quickly spared a glance in that direction, but he saw nothing of interest to look at.

"I…see," Sally said, although by her tone it made it clear she did not. "I can tell you are one of the King's Citizens, for His armor is upon you. The first town you will come across on that road is Myrna, but you will not be able to make it before nightfall. If you are uncertain as to your final destination, perhaps you will join us. We are headed to Hesu, a little more than an hour's journey from here on foot. The day is nearly done, and you could rest in Hesu and continue on your journey in the morning refreshed."

Knuckles cocked his head, then looked down the road. "Shall I go?" he asked, seemingly more to himself than to anyone else. He paused for awhile, then shook his head. "I don't think I can take you up on your offer. It seems that it is most urgent I get to my destination swiftly. Tomorrow will be too late."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked him.

Knuckles only shook his head again. "If I knew, I would tell you. But I don't, so I can't. I only know I must not stray from this path until I find what I have been sent to find. And I must not linger or I will miss my only opportunity. I might have taken too long already."

"Then we will not take any more of your time, Knuckles," Sally told him. Knuckles nodded his thanks and hurriedly continued his journey. He was surprisingly fast.

"Rather elusive, refusing to tell us where he was going and all," Ray mused after Knuckles had left their sight.

"Perhaps," Espio replied. "Or perhaps, like he said, he simply does not know."

"At any rate, we should get to Hesu," Sally said, bringing everyone back to the present.

* * *

Hesu was neither large nor small. It was one of those towns that fit somewhere in the middle; large enough to have many characteristics of large towns yet small enough that everyone knew everyone else's name. It was a quiet, peaceful place. The town of Mayberry on _The Andy Griffith Show_ was more rowdy than Hesu.

When the foursome got to the town's Training Center, they were informed that Commander Turtle had taken the liberty to invite Commander Kintobor to Hesu for a few days to rest as Kintobor's Training Center was nearly a two-week journey from Delphia, and Hesu was along his way back home. Kintobor was preparing to leave; but if they were prompt they could catch him before he did so.

This was a very lucky break; speaking to Kintobor directly might help determine if he was the one they sought. In a matter of minutes, three of the commanders had convinced Kintobor to stay awhile to chat. Espio had left the party to explore the Training Center, in the hopes that he could find more clues that way. Now they were all in Commander Turtle's office, along with Tommy Turtle himself. The five were nonchalantly talking of different things, which Sally hoped would enable them to slowly turn the subject to the traitor without either commander becoming wary of what they were doing.

It was Sally who posed the question first. "Commander Julian," She said presently. "Did you really mean what you said during the Commander's meeting? About the deceiver being a commander?"

Kintobor looked at her gravely. "I would not have suggested it otherwise," he replied.

"But how could a deceiver become a Commander?" Ray protested.

"Too easily," Kintobor replied, shaking his head. "But there is also the possibility that a devout Commander was turned after he achieved his rank."

"That doesn't seem possible."

"It's unusual, but there are records that state that happening," Kintobor replied. "Records that states that sometimes, a Commander trusts the King, so the King uses him mightily. Then the Commander becomes prideful, begins trusting himself rather than his King. His downfall is almost assured after that unless he repents. And all too often, his downfall is also the downfall of countless others who made the mistake of looking to him for guidance instead of their King."

"Speaking of the traitor," Tommy looked deeply thoughtful. "I don't suppose you would have any ideas as to who he is?"

Kintobor frowned. "This is a dangerous ground to tread, casting blame. It is a frightening thought, that of attacking, physically or verbally, one who the King has anointed. No, take my advice and do not go that route, Commander Tommy."

"I would not dream of it," Commander Turtle shook his head. "And yet…I could not help but notice that Commander D'Coolette was not at the meeting."

Sally sat up straight as if struck by lightning. "What? Are you sure?"

"Perhaps you merely missed him in the crowd," Shadow added.

Commander Turtle shook his head. "No, he was not there. I am sure of it. It is a bad sign, I think. One that cannot speak well of him. One could almost think to question his loyalties..."

"Commander Turtle," Kintobor stood, a fire seeming to gleam in his eyes. "I cannot in good conscience accuse you of willfully smearing the character of another Commander based on circumstantial evidence, especially such flimsy evidence as that, and so I will not. But I refuse to believe that Commander D'Coolette could be the guilty party without a lot more proof than what you have given. Until then, I refuse to hear any ill about anyone who does the King's will. So I will bid you good-day."

"Please don't take it the wrong way, Commander Kintobor. I would never dream of accusing anyone without sufficient evidence. I was merely stating that it was strange, that is all."

Commander Kintobor calmed down a little. "Well, in that case, I apologize for my rashness. But you would do well to make your meanings more clear from now on to avoid further misunderstandings."

"I will endeavor to do so."

"Good, now if you will excuse me, I really must be on my way. Good day to all of you, and may the King grant you safe passage."

"And to you as well," Sally replied as Kintobor left. After a little more small talk with Commander Turtle, the three of them did as well.

* * *

They met Espio outside the rooms they had been given for the night. "What did you find out?" Shadow asked him.

"Nothing," Espio replied. "And that worries me."

"Why?" Ray asked. "Isn't finding nothing a good thing?"

"Not when you know there is something to find but it refuses to be found," Espio replied. "Searching this place is like being in a house of mirrors. I find what seems to be the way to go, only to run into a mirror and find it is a dead end."

"So you're saying there is something here."

"Yes, and if only I could figure out which path is real, I could find it," Espio replied. "As it is, I keep running into walls."

"Perhaps we're going about this the wrong way," Shadow said, musing.

"It is suspicious that Antoine wasn't at the meeting," Ray pointed.

"A little _too _suspicious," Shadow pointed out. "It all feels like a setup. I'm almost positive that one of those two is the traitor and D'Coolette's innocent. I know it doesn't make sense, but…I can just…it's like I can just sense it. Like…"

"Like the King is giving us a warning," Sally finished. "I know. I felt it too."

"But why would the traitor single out Antoine?" Ray asked.

"Perhaps because he's uncovered something the traitor didn't want to be uncovered," Espio suggested.

"Or perhaps it's simply because some unforeseen event caused him to miss the meeting and the traitor is taking the coincidence as a chance to cover his tracks," Sally added.

"Either way, our path now takes us to Myrna. Commander D'Coolette has a part to play in this little drama," Shadow mused. "And we must find out what it is if we are to succeed in our mission."

"It's far too late to leave now," Ray pointed out.

"We will head for Myrna at dawn," Sally decided, and the four retired to rest.

* * *

At the same time, on a road far from Hesu at this time, Knuckles the Echidna followed his assigned path by the light of the full moon. "There's one thing I don't understand," He said, looking at his companion, the Holy Spirit, who had never left his side, not even when the Commanders had talked to him. "Why couldn't those guys see you?"

**"It was not always so,**" The Spirit said sadly. **"There was a time when each saw and heard me clearly. But circumstances have come that have stolen their attention. They forget about My guidance in the panic of unforeseen outcomes. They are unable to see, because they are too busy to see. But perhaps they will remember and will turn to Me, as they should have done in the beginning, and then they will see My face again."**

"That's…awful," Knuckles finally admitted.

**"Do not forget this lesson you have just learned, for it is the hardest to learn…and the easiest to forget. Do not let the cares and worries of this world blind your eyes and heart to who I AM."**

"I will do my best to remember," Knuckles vowed. "So is it ok if I know what exactly I am looking for?"

The Spirit looked ahead, his eyes resting on a large shrub. **"Do you see that bush?"**

"Yes, why?"

**"Do you trust Me?"**

Knuckles was taken aback. "Well…sure I do."

**"Then listen to My words and speak them to the bush. Do not add anything nor leave anything out."**

Knuckles blinked. "You want me too…talk to the bush?"

The dove nodded.

"O…K?" Knuckles cleared his throat, feeling slightly foolish, and asked. "Uh, what do you want me to say?"

Knuckles listened to the message, and repeated it a few times to ensure he had it right. Then he walked over to the bush, took a big breath, and spoke. "These are the words of the King, the One True King. There was never one before Him and there is no one above Him. Hear His words:

'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. But now would you discredit My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.

"'Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. You have wearied the LORD with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?"

"You say, 'I am innocent; he is not angry with me.' But I will pass judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.' Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Then you will know that I am the LORD, the one true King, and there is no other before me.'"

As soon as Knuckles finished speaking the message to the bush, he reached down and touched his ring, activating his Shield of Faith, as instructed. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was preparing for. But one thing was sure: He wasn't prepared to hear a loud profanity, nor was he prepared foe someone to jump out of the bush with a dagger in hand and attack him.

Knuckles yelped, but he was not hurt as the Shield had protected him from the blow. The Echidna looked into the eyes of a male lynx. The eyes were filled with hatred, shock, and pain. Knuckles looked down to where the dagger had been and his eyes widened. The lynx had been so determined to kill him that he had thrown all his weight into his charge; when the dagger bounced off Knuckles' shield, the lynx had inadvertently fallen onto his own blade.

"No…" The lynx muttered, the shock in his eyes seeming to outshine his other emotions as his life ebbed away. "There is no…justice…"

The Spirit lowered his head. **"This man died as he lived, by denying the Truth about who I AM. He decided that since I AM a King of mercy, therefore I would not bring him to judgment for his wrongdoings He did much evil and believed I would do nothing. But you must not forget, although I AM mercy, I AM also justice. I will not change who I AM for what men may wish me to me."**

Knuckles nodded, still looking at the lynx, who by now would never get up again. The echidna was suddenly struck by the thought that in the end, the lynx had destroyed himself, by denying that the King was a King of justice as well as mercy and attacking those who said different. It was a grave lesson to learn.

The Spirit quietly cooed, drawing Knuckles from his thoughts. **"Knuckles, step behind the bush and take twenty steps into the woods; then identify yourself as one of My citizens as loudly as you can. From there you will know what you must do."**

Knuckles nodded, not even bothering to think about how silly that may have sounded. He quickly stepped into the woods and counted his steps quietly to himself. When he reached twenty, he took a deep breath and yelled, "My name is Knuckles, one of the King's Citizens!"

There was a long pause, in which Knuckles wondered what would happen, when suddenly a voice rang out. It was weak, but it was there all the same.

"Monsieur, I am over heer! Pleeze help me!"

Knuckles pinpointed the direction of the voice and started off after it. "Keep talking so I can find you!" he ordered.

"I weel try," The voice was weaker this time. "I do not zink I can do zis for long…"

"Hang on!" Knuckles pleaded. "I think I'm almost there!"

Knuckles hopped over a downed tree and suddenly ended up in a clearing. There was a tent, a campfire, and at the far edge, was a prisoner chained by the neck to a tree. Knuckles quickly made his way to the prisoner and snapped the chain like a twig with his strength. To his surprise, the prisoner was armed, a saber hung at his side, but his hands had been so tightly tied behind him that he had been unable to reach it. Knuckles broke the ropes holding the man's hands and the prisoner started to rub his wrists.

"Merci," he said gratefully. He was a coyote with short blonde hair and his Armor was designed to resemble a military uniform. "Zank zee Keeng, 'ee 'as answard my prairies and zent you! Zee guard, 'ee was going to keel me tonight." The coyote shuddered a bit at the thought.

Knuckles, however, just cocked his head in confusion as he tried to decipher the man's speech. "You mean 'prayers?'" He finally ventured to ask, uncertain as to just what the word was supposed to mean.

"Oui. Is zat not vat I said?"

Knuckles shook his head. "You said 'prairies.'"

"Oh. Pardon moi, I am not zee best when it comes to zee Eenglish," the coyote apologized. "Achlow me to eentroduce myself. I em Commander Antoine D'Coolette." He gave a slight bow as he introduced himself, or tried too, but he stumbled slightly as a result of several days of misuse while he'd been a prisoner.

"Knuckles," the Echidna replied, as he helped Antoine sit down. "You should rest."

Antoine's face looked pained and he shook his head frantically. "Non, non, I cannot. I _must _return to Myrna immediate!" Antoine tried desperately to stand again, but grew dizzy and was forced to sit. "Eet is an achmergency!"

"Why?" Knuckles wanted to know. "What's the hurry?"

Antoine slumped, seeming to deflate. "You are right; eet haz been trois days. Eet is too late; zey are gone!" The coyote broke down and started to sob. "I have failed, Monsieur Knuckles. I failed my dutee to my town, I failed to protect my wife, I failed my cheeldrin, and I failed my Keeng!"

**"You have not failed me."**

Antoine gasped at the voice and looked up wide-eyed. "Zee Keeng's Holy Speerit!" he cried, looking at the bird who was sitting next to him.

The Spirit looked at Antoine with eyes full of compassion. **"You have not failed Me, Antoine. You stood faithful, even when it cost you all. Even during your imprisonment you stood faithful to Me when you felt your hope fading. You did not deny My truth when all others did. You have not failed me, Antoine."**

Antoine choked back a sob and allowed the Spirit to comfort him with His words. The coyote recomposed himself. "What am I to do now?" he asked, still sounding like a very broken man. "My Keeng, I learned of horrible zings while I vas imprisoned. Horrible blast phonies ageenst You and Your Truth."

Behind them, Knuckles scratched his head and mouthed, "Blast phonies?"

**"I know of the blasphemers, Antoine. They will not escape My justice."**

Antoine bowed his head. "I knew zey wood not."

**"Antoine, tonight I wish for you to rest. Tomorrow you will find your strength renewed," The Spirit informed him.**

"What shall I do zen, if I may be zo bold to ask?"

**"The deceivers who caused many to fall away and then ransacked Myrna did not kill all of My Citizens' who refused to recant. The young ones—the children—have taken by force."**

Antoine's eyes widened. "Ze cheeldrin?"

**"Yes, and do not fear, Antoine. Belle and Jacques are among those forced to leave."**

"Zen…eet ees non too late to save zem!"

**"We shall. But tonight, you must rest to save your strength. Tomorrow the journey shall begin. Knuckles will go will you, and you will train him along the way."**

Antoine nodded. "Eet weel be my pleesure." Then he frowned, as if just remembering something unpleasant. "My Keeng, I have learned zat zee one responseeble for starteeng zis blast phony ageenst You ees a Commander named—"

**"I know who does this, and he too shall be brought to justice, Antoine. Do not worry about that now; just follow Me."**

Antoine nodded and bowed as best he could while sitting. "I shall follow You till my death, my Keeng," he vowed.

Knuckles, who had been watching, gasped as the dove cooed in response, and then flew up and vanished! "Hey!" he cried. "Where are You going?"

"Do not worry," Antoine assured him. "'Ee ees steel 'ere alzough ve cannot see Hem."

Knuckles swallowed back a lump in his throat. He'd never been in a position where he couldn't see the dove before. Looking around while wondering what to do now, his eyes fell upon some food that was lying around the camp. He took it and offered some to Antoine, who took it gracefully.

"So…" Knuckles finally ventured to ask. "What exactly happened here, Antoine?"

Antoine sighed, his eyes growing dim as he thought about the past. "Eet ees not a pleasuring thought," he admitted. "But I weel tell you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7-Stay Strong**

**Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.—Matthew 5:10**

**Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?—Romans 8:35**

**We've gotta stay strong**

**You are not lost**

**Come on and fix your eyes ahead**

**Our Father's dawn will light our day, our day**

**Come on and stay strong**

**His grip is sure**

**And His patience still endures**

**There'll be no letting go today, no way**

**-**_**Stay Strong, **_**Newsboys**

* * *

Commander Antoine D'Coolette had taught in Myrna for ten years. It was little more than a small village that had been carved out in the middle of nowhere. It brought no interest to the majority of the world, and most travelers would pass by without so much as slowing in their journey to more exotic places. In fact, Antoine used to joke, many wouldn't even realize they'd passed Myrna at all.

Nevertheless, the coyote loved Myrna wholeheartedly. Ever since he had come to fill the then-vacant position of the Myrna Training Center's Commander, he had grown fiercely attached to the small populous. It was here Antoine had fulfilled his King's calling to teach His Citizens, here he had grown stronger than ever in his loyalty to his King, and here he had met his wife and raised two wonderful children.

The coyote thought of all this fondly each day as he awoke and prepared himself to train in the small Center. He had developed the habit long ago; that of reminding himself at the beginning of each day of his King's blessings and thanking Him for them. He did so now as he knelt by his bedside.

A knock on his door interrupted his revere. "Sugah, do ya need some more time before breakfast?" his beloved wife called.

Antoine stood and quickly opened the door. "No, mon amour. I was just feenishing."

Bunnie D'Coolette smiled broadly at her husband's affectionate term for her, then she nonchalantly pushed her ear back from where it insisted on falling in front of her eye. "Well, then ya'll 'd better be gettin' out here, darlin', before the young uns eat up yore breakfast."

"Oui, I weel be right there," Antoine assured her, kissing her gently. "Je vous aime," he informed her quietly.

Bunnie's grin got bigger. "Oh, stop it, ya charmer, ya'll are makin' me blush," she chided him, although she didn't really mean it. "An' I love ya too, Antoine."

With that, she turned and walked resolutely towards the kitchen, contented now that she had fulfilled her duty in warning her husband that the present state of his breakfast—that is, that it was present—was in danger of changing. Antoine whistled a happy tune as he followed her into the kitchen area, where his children were scarfing down their own breakfasts as if they had just come off a severe fast—although to their father's knowledge, they had eaten quite well at last night's supper.

"'Ello, Jacques, 'ello, Belle," Antoine greeted his children as he sat at the table. "Un 'ow are you dees fine morneeng?"

"Fine, Papa," both his children replied at once, Jacques with a mouth full of food.

"Ew!" Bella shrieked, having seen him. "Mama, Jacques is talkin' with his mouth full!"

"Don't talk wit' yore mouth full, pumpkin," Bunnie responded, not looking up from her cooking. "Ant, darlin', is yore food still where Ah left it?"

"Oui," Antoine replied good-naturedly. "Monsieur Jacques, 'ee mus' not have zeen eet."

Jacques, easily joining in on the inside joke the family shared, shrugged with an easy grin. "Can't win 'em all, Papa. Oh, well, I'll get it next time, Oui?"

"Ah declare, Ah can't see how ya can eat so much, Jacques," Bunnie said, joining her family at the table. "It's like ya got a bottomless chasm in yore belly."

"'Ee ees a groweeng boy who needs 'ees vegemite," Antoine replied, defending his only son.

Bunnie rolled her eyes. "Darlin' the thing he needs is vegetables, not vegemite. Anyway, Ah don't think neither one of 'ems in grits, anyhow."

The family of four continued to banter good-naturedly with each other throughout the remainder of breakfast. It was a normal occurrence for the D'Coolette family; and Antoine supposed that day was the same as any other.

He was wrong. That day, was the beginning of the end.

* * *

It was mid-morning now, and Antoine was deeply involved with his trainees. At the present moment, he was lightly sparring with one of the newer recruits, Jet the Hawk. At least, Antoine thought of it as lightly sparring; as he was not only fencing with his opponent without breaking a sweat, he was also keeping an eye on the other trainee's progress with their own training regimens as well as offering advice to Jet on how to better his attack. Jet, on the other hand…

"Look to your heed!" Antoine warned, and Jet obediently raised his broadsword to block his Commander's attack. "Good!" Antoine encouraged him. "You haff been practizing."

Jet offered a weak smile. Ten minutes ago he'd have offered a snappy comeback, but now it was all he could do to keep from passing out and offer a somewhat semi-passable defense against his Commander's attack. Antoine easily could have ended the fight anytime he chose (and indeed, Jet was silently praying that he would do so) but this particular lesson was of endurance; and the best way to get a skill, be it endurance, patience, kindness, or anything similar, was quite simply to practice it until it came naturally.

"How…" Jet paused for a bit, panting heavily as he tried to gain breathe to speak. "Much longer?"

Antoine considered. "Unteel we are feeneeshed," he finally replied, an evasive way of concluding that he hadn't thought of when best to end a training session that taught one endurance. He usually just kept fighting until his opponent couldn't take it anymore; and though Jet was tired he still had some fight left in him. Antoine had a great discernment for such things as the ability of those he sparred with.

Jet groaned audibly as the match continued. The tired Hawk blocked another thrust from Antoine's saber; then he brought his Shield into play—and promptly dropped it on the ground.

In an instant, Antoine's Sword had stopped mere inches from Jet's throat, signifying both the remarkable restraint Antoine possessed and the end of their match, because for all intents and purposes, Jet was 'dead.'

"Monsieur Jet," Antoine's voice was a touch chiding. "Ze Shield is one of zee most important pieces of zee King's armor. In zee future, try not to being zee butter biscuits."

Jet, used to his Commander's garbled attempts to speak English, correctly assumed Antoine meant to say 'butterfingers' and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, looking down. "Sorry," he muttered.

Antoine's disapproving stare banished in a fraction of a second, and he grinned at his recruit. "Do not be so hard on yourzelf! You are geeteeng much better. Maybe next time you are beeteeng me, Oui?"

Jet snickered, showing that he highly doubted that, but that it was an amusing thought nevertheless. He looked passed Antoine and his eyes gained a quizzical glint, as he apparently started following someone or something with his eyes.

Curious as to what Jet was staring at, Antoine turned to see himself. Three men had entered the enclave; each man seemed dressed in King's Armor, although something twisted in Antoine's gut when he saw them, as if something was…off.

The leader was a skunk with blue eyes. Behind him and slightly to the right was a lynx whose eyes were a lighter shade of blue than the skunk's. He had a sneer on his face that did little to ease Antoine's mind. To the skunk's left was a blue chameleon.

Antoine's reaction at first seeing the three had died down; and the coyote, after thinking it through, decided that the feeling had less to do with the three before him and more with indigestion from breakfast. After all, they _were _dressed in King's armor.

Antoine quietly informed Jet that he could go rest for a time before participating in his next training regimen. The coyote gave a wry grin at the shout of glee that Jet gave before running into the enclave to goof off during his free time, and then the Commander purposefully strode towards the enclave's guests.

"'Ello, mon amis! Weelcome to Myrna's Traineeng Center. I am Commander Antoine D'Coolette. Who do I have zee pleasure of addresseeng?"

The skunk gave him a wide grin. "I'm Geoffrey St. John, and these are my friends, Lightning Lynx and Valdez the Chameleon."

"'Ello," Antoine told them politely.

"Hello," Lightning told him curtly. Valdez just bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

"What breengs you here to Myrna, geentlemen?" Antoine asked Geoffrey.

The skunk matter-of-factly handed Antoine a letter of recommendation. "Our Commander believes it's time for us to increase our training. He wants us to travel to different Training Centers and speak the truth."

Antoine cocked his head and read the letter. Such letters were quite common; and the practice of advanced trainees going from Center to Center was mandatory. Antoine looked at the signature of the Commander who had signed the paper; although he didn't know the Commander personally he had often seen him at the Commander's Meetings and knew who he was. Antoine nodded. "Zees seems to be een order," he said, handing the letter back to Geoffrey. "Ween would you like to speek?"

"Tonight, if we can."

Antoine nodded. "Zat weel be fine. In zee meantime, have you eaten?"

Geoffrey just gave him a sly smile. "Oh, I'm afraid we have," he said. "Besides, we're too anxious to eat anyway."

Antoine laughed. "I reemember my first time speeking," he stated. "I was so teereefied I almost peed myself on zee platform! But do not woree. Eet is not so bad as eet seems. Just reemember zee Keeng eez weeth you."

"We will," Geoffrey said, that same sly smile on his face. "Now, if you will excuse us, we would like to rest before our speech."

The rest of the afternoon was quite uneventful, and rather routine. Antoine continued to train his students, although it wasn't as effective as normal, since after all visitors were a rare and exciting thing in Myrna.

* * *

The evening came, as evenings seem to be in the habit of doing, and the Myrna Trainees assembled in the Grand Hall to hear the newcomers speak.

Geoffrey took the stage, Lightning and Valdez each standing at one of the two stairways that led to the stage, almost as if trying to keep others from entering. Antoine thought that was odd, but it wasn't forbidden so he allowed it. Still, the uneasiness he had felt earlier had come back, and he subconsciously lowered his hand to his Sword, gripping the saber's hilt nervously.

"Greetings. My name is Geoffrey St. John, and I'm here to speak to you about the grand New Truth that has been revealed about the King's Realm to us. We are here to tell you about the wonderful Sophia, Queen of the Realm."

Antoine stood, his worries increasing as he opened his mouth to speak, but surprisingly his newest recruit Jet the Hawk beat him to it.

"Haw!" Jet scoffed. "Everybody knows there's no such thing as a Queen! It's the KING of the Realm, you half-wit!"

Antoine sat back down, pleased that the Truth had been spoken—no doubt the three would realize they'd made a mistake in their nervousness—but he also resolved to have a chat with Jet about speaking the Truth in _kindness and love._

Geoffrey turned to Jet, his blue-eyes penetrating. "There is a King of the Realm, but Queen Sophia ordains what He will do. She provides pardon for all men's sins. There is no punishment for wickedness because there _is _no wickedness. And if there were, the Queen would free us from it."

"What about the Prince's sacrifice?" called out a trainee from the back. "Isn't that the only way to obtain pardon for sins?"

Lightning Lynx rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Who needs some weird guy dripping blood and stuff? No, the Queen does away with it."

There was a loud swish as Antoine's Sword left it's scabbard. The Commander's eyes were filled with righteous fury as he pointed it at the Lynx.

"How DARE you!" he yelled. "How dare you come here to my center and spread lies about zee King! And you have zee nerve to mock zee Holy Prince and hees sacrifice? You get out of zis place NOW!"

Lightning smirked and unsheathed his own sword. "You're a fool," he told Antoine.

The coyote charged the lynx and the two clashed blades furiously. "You weel be brought to justice for mockeeng zee Prince," Antoine warned his opponent as they fought.

"Oh please," Lightning scoffed. "There's no such thing as justice! It's all relative! No good King would dare send judgment on anybody anyway! Who is He to tell me I'm wrong and must suffer for it?"

"You are a fuel," Antoine told him dryly.

Behind him, he could see Jet eagerly rushing to do battle with Valdez. "We don't want no stinkin' traitors in our Center!" he told the Chameleon matter-of-factly.

Valdez did not answer him verbally; he merely met Jet's blade with his own. The chameleon was more disciplined than the hawk; Jet was almost immediately put on the defensive. Luckily for him, however, Antoine's wife, Bunnie, was hot on his heels. She also engaged Valdez.

"Come on, Sugah," she encouraged Jet. "Let's knock this slimy sidewinder right out of these parts!"

"You got it, Bunnie!" Jet replied, his determination renewed. "They won't know what hit them!"

Meanwhile, Antoine pressed his advantage against Lightning. "Admit your sin against zee Prince!" the Commander demanded.

"Never!" Lightning replied, twirling and bringing his sword in low. Antoine jumped over it effortlessly and thrust his own sword up towards his opponent's chest. Lightning barely managed to deflect the blade. Antoine let loose with a volley of thrusts and parries that were a mere blur to the human eye. Desperate, Lightning dodged and blocked what he could, but within moments his fur was creased with small red lines where Antoine's blade had found its mark.

On the verge of panicking, Lightning threw all his body weight into a final, crushing blow. Antoine blocked it effortlessly, and with a mere flick of his wrist, the coyote twisted the lynx's blade out of his grasp and sent it sailing across the room.

Lightning now found himself unarmed with Antoine's blade positioned at his throat. The lynx smirked. "I guess now you're the King's so-called 'justice' preparing to do away with me."

Antoine glared at him and lowered his blade slightly. "I em not zee Keeng's justice," he informed his opponent. "And eet ees not my place to condemn you. Zee Keeng Heemself weel judge you!"

Behind him, Bunnie and Jet had succeeded in disarming Valdez. The chameleon glared at the two as they held him at bay at sword point.

"You lose, traitor," Jet told him cockily.

Antoine turned to Geoffrey, his anger shining clearly in his eyes as he pointed his blade tip at him.

Geoffrey was unimpressed. "You know," he said, "if you wanted us to leave, you could have just said so."

"Get out," Antoine snapped. "You are non welcome here."

Geoffrey smirked, as if he knew something Antoine didn't. "Very well. Boys, we're leaving. For now."

"Forever," Antoine corrected.

Geoffrey merely smirked at him again, and the three left the enclave. Antoine breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of the three traitors gone; but the relief was soured somewhat by the fact that out of the entire adult congregation of the enclave, only his wife and one (rather brash) student had stood with him to fight them. The rest had watched in silence.

Antoine sheathed his Sword and turned to Jet. He put his hand upon the younger man's shoulder. "Good work, Jet," he told him. "You have done weel een standeeng for zee Keeng."

Jet held his head high. "No stupid traitors are gonna pull the wool over _my _eyes!" he boasted. "They can all go rot for all I care!"

Antoine winced. It looked like a discussion on pride would accompany speaking the truth in kindness and love. "I would like to speak to you in zee morneeng," he told the cadet.

"Sure!" Jet said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Antoine sighed again and closed the meeting.

* * *

That night at the dinner table, the conversation took a new twist as Jacques and Belle had heard about what had happed in the 'big people's' meeting.

"They must have been very bad men, Papa," Belle said, wide-eyed. "It weren't at all good what they done."

"No, it suah wasn't, sweetheart," Bunnie told her, setting a plate of food before her.

""I wish I were there," Jacques moaned. "I'd've helped kick 'em all out! But I was stuck in the Children's Training Center."

"I eem very glad you weren't zere," Antoine said sternly. "No leetle one should 'ear zee zings zose men were zayeeng."

"No big 'un should, neither," Bunnie added with a huff.

"Come now, let us 'ave supper," Antoine insisted. "Zose men were stopped an' we 'ave 'eard zee last of zem."

"And good riddance!" Bunnie vowed.

With that, the family ate their supper and went to bed, assuming that the men had been dealt with and all was well.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

The next few days, things started to happen. The townsfolk seemed more on edge around Antoine and Bunnie, and the Training Center seemed a little more empty each day.

"Where IS everybody?" Jet asked on the morn of the third day, when only a third of the regular students showed.

Antoine only shook his head. "I 'ave a veery bad feeleeng of zis," he admitted.

* * *

It was just after midnight when a loud banging on Antoine's door awakened him from his slumber. The coyote groggily got up and put on his armor, seconds before the door burst inward and several men rushed into the house.

Behind him, Bunnie screamed as Antoine, still disoriented, drew his sword and jumped at one of the attackers. Any other time he would have been more than a match; but he was still groggy from having just woken up and his reactions were slowed. The fact that he was severely outnumbered also helped, but I digress.

It wasn't long before Antoine and Bunnie, hands firmly tied behind their backs, were forcibly dragged from their homes out into the village square. Behind them, their children were also forced from their home. Belle was sobbing loudly in her sheer terror, Jacques was kicking at his captors and warning them what would happen when his father managed to free himself from his bonds.

As they got closer to the village square, however, the less Antoine thought that possibility was valid. Many of the houses were burning; the fire added an evil glow to the scene before him.

In the middle of the square, every man, woman, and child of the enclave who had still been attending when the three days were up were standing, hands bound behind them. And standing amongst them, triumph in his face, was…

"Geoffrey St. John," Antoine spat the name, his disgust apparent in his eyes.

"Hello, Commander," Geoffrey said smugly.

"Get your stinkin' hands off me you no good dirty traitors!" Behind them, Jet's mouth signaled his arrival long before he actually appeared in sight. The hawk was roughly thrown into the square.

"As you can no doubt see, Commander," Geoffrey continued as if Jet's appearance had interrupted nothing, "not everyone in this quaint little town is as adverse to our words as you are."

"Your words are zee words of death," Antoine told him. "And all who 'eed zem are doomed. What do you zink you weel accomplish weeth zees?"

"To prove once and for all that you and your followers deceive only yourselves," Geoffrey stated. "That all your so-called allegiance to your King is nothing more than hypocritical holier-than-thou trash."

"And 'ow do you eenteend to accompleesh zat?" Antoine asked coldly.

"Like this." Geoffrey drew his sword and pointed it at Jet's neck. Jet spat on his shoes.

The skunk looked amused. "Hawk, all of this could go away. We are going to set you free—"

"Sure. And I've got a golden bridge to sell you," Jet rolled his eyes. "Get real."

Geoffrey's eyes flashed, as it seemed Jet had found a way to get under his skin. Nevertheless he smiled. "All you have to do, Jet, is tell me that your Commander is wrong and I am right. I'm not even asking you to recant."

Jet looked him right in the eye. "Saying that the Commander is wrong and you're right IS recanting, genius. That's denying everything I know is right about the King for some trashy garbage you made up because you don't like thinking that the King won't let you burn down houses and kill people without punishing you for that. You're a moron, and so's anybody STUPID enough to believe you!"

"Enough!" Geoffrey snapped, silencing Jet. "Call it what you will," he continued, his frustration clearly evident. "But I am offering you your life."

"You can't give me my life," Jet said calmly. "Because it's not yours to give me. I gave my life to the King three years ago, and I don't think He gave it to you at any point in history."

"And yet here I am with a sword about to take it," Geoffrey said triumphantly.

"You aren't taking anything," Jet said calmly. "If it is my time to go to the King, I will go. If not, nothing you do will take me."

"Give me your answer!" Geoffrey yelled.

Jet smirked at him and squared his shoulders. "Go jump off a cliff."

Then the Hawk closed his eyes and prepared for his end. It was forthcoming as a furious St. John executed him on the spot.

"Jet!" Antoine cried in horror as he watched the young recruit fall. The coyote turned to Geoffrey, who seemed indifferent to the whole scenario. "You are a muenster!" he accused him.

Geoffrey just looked at him, seemingly bored with the whole episode, while the others he had 'converted' in Myrna were repeating the scene with the others who had remained loyal to the King. "And now, Commander, it is your turn."

Antoine glared at him. "Keel me, torture me, I weel not recant!" he spat defiantly.

"I figured that," Geoffrey admitted. "But what would happen if I killed or tortured _them?_" the skunk pointed his sword at Belle and Jacques.

"You wouldn't!" Bunnie gasped, her face going unnaturally pale.

"You first 'Mom'" Geoffrey said mockingly, grabbing Belle and putting his sword near her throat. "Recant or I will kill her."

Bunnie fell to her knees in anguish. Antoine, livid, tried to charge Geoffrey but two of his lackeys held him back.

"Your turn will come soon enough, Dad," Geoffrey assured him. "It's Mama's turn now. Tell me, Mrs. D'Coolette, will you stand with your King if He demanded your daughter's life?"

Tears filled Bunnie's eyes and fell down her cheeks. She looked up into her daughter's eyes. Belle tried to smile through her own tears.

"It's ok, Mama," she said. "Honest, it's ok. Don't hurt the King because o' me."

Bunnie's breath caught, and she looked up at Geoffrey, an unnatural peace filling her. "How can Ah say Ah give mah King everythang, and then refuse the most important thang Ah have?" she asked him.

Geoffrey's face turned dark. "Then I have no further use for you. Pity…"

Antoine screamed in horror and rage as Geoffrey motioned to Lightning. The lynx came and brought his sword down into the still kneeling Bunnie.

Geoffrey looked at Antoine, his fury at his inability to cause his victims to recant evident in his eyes. "Let's try this again…" he said, letting go of Belle and grabbing Jacques. "Recant! Or I WILL kill your son!"

"Don't do it, Papa!" Jacques yelled, struggling against Geoffrey. "I mean it! You won't be my papa no more if you deny the King!"

"Shut up!" Geoffrey snapped at him, smacking him upside the head. "Choose!" he ordered Antoine.

"I weel not deny mon Keeng," Antoine said, his voice cracking as he looked at his son regretfully. "You weel haff to keel me as you deed mon wife."

Geoffrey's whole body trembled with rage. "Then I will!" he vowed.

"St. John!" Lightning cut in. "Let me have him," the lynx gave Antoine a wicked smile. "I need payback for how he humiliated me."

Geoffrey considered, then smiled grimly. "Give him payback for me, too, then," he said, chuckling. "You will regret the day you refused my generous offer, Commander."

Antoine glared at him as Lightning sauntered up to him and grabbed his saber, attempting to disarm him.

"Ow!" The lynx yelped and grabbed his hand. A large burn was centered upon it where he had touched Antoine's Sword. Furious, Lightning struck Antoine across the cheek so hard the coyote was slammed into the ground.

Geoffrey laughed aloud. "Serves you right!" he goaded the lynx. "You should have figured someone like that Commander would have memorized his Swordplay so well it can never be taken from him! Just make sure he can't reach it to slice through his bonds."

Lightning glared at him as he grabbed a chain and fastened the end around Antoine's neck. Then the lynx unceremoniously dragged him out of town without so much as letting him find out what they intended to do with his children.

* * *

Antoine was in Lightning's hands for seven days. The lynx enjoyed seeing him in pain; but the worst the lynx could do to him was nothing compared to the agony of not knowing the fate of his children.

One of Lightning's favorite things to do while he worked Antoine over was to repeat his claims that he would get away with everything he did because no merciful King would ever find it in His heart to punish him. And even if He did, the 'Queen' was more powerful than He and would protect Lightning. He taunted Antoine with the decree night and day.

On the seventh day, as Lightning prepared to torment his prisoner again, the two heard a voice, sounding some ways away but still clear as a bell.

"These are the words of the King, the One True King. There was never one before Him and there is no one above Him. Hear His words:

'Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. But now would you discredit My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself? For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.

"'Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. You have wearied the LORD with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?"

"You say, 'I am innocent; he is not angry with me.' But I will pass judgment on you because you say, 'I have not sinned.' Therefore this is what the LORD says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its scabbard and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Then you will know that I am the LORD, the one true King, and there is no other before me.'"

Lightning's jaw was touching the ground during the first few sentences, then his face grew dark and he drew his dagger. "I will be back for you," he vowed to Antoine. Somehow, however, the coyote knew he would not return.

The lynx left the clearing and rushed towards the voice. Antoine waited for what seemed an eternity, his ears alert for some sign, some acknowledgement, to tell him that his deliverance was at hand.

Finally… "My name is Knuckles, one of the King's Citizens!"

Antoine's whole being filled with joy; an emotion he had not felt in some time. ""Monsieur, I am over heer! Pleeze help me!" he cried, unwilling to let this chance at freedom pass him by.

"Keep talking so I can find you!" the voice ordered. Antoine could clearly hear someone moving towards him.

"I weel try," Antoine replied. "I do not zink I can do zis for long…"

"Hang on!" the man pleaded. "I'm almost there!"

There was rustling in the bushes at the far side of the clearing. Antoine looked towards them expectantly, and presently the foliage was parted and one of the King's Citizens, dressed in a peculiar armor that covered all his features except his red dreadlocks, came into view.

And Antoine D'Coolette met Knuckles the Echidna for the first time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8—Brother Against Brother**

**From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."—Luke 12:52-53**

**"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.—Matthew 10:21-22**

**I'm at war with the world**

**Cause I ain't never gonna sell my soul**

**Already made up my mind**

**No matter what I can't be bought or sold**

**When my faith is getting weak**

**And I feel like giving in**

**You breath into me again**

**-**_**Awake and Alive,**_** Skillet**

* * *

The day was dark, and grey storm clouds were blocking the sun. It seemed to accentuate the complete devastation.

For Mercia was in shambles.

Espio struggled to keep his face neutral as the once-thriving little town came into view. His training forbade him from showing emotions considered 'weak' such as shock or bewilderment. And although he knew that he no longer needed to follow the teachings of the Shinobi Ninja clan; such lifelong training was hard break.

But the fact that he showed no emotion did not mean he felt none. The Chameleon felt sick to his stomach as he saw the burned out skeletons of buildings that used to form Mercia's center of commerce, such as it had been.

His companions were not subject to his training, however, and he clearly saw the horror radiating in their faces as they surveyed the ruined town.

"W-what happened here?" Sally asked, her face going pale.

"Where is everyone?" Ray added, noticing that there were no people in the town square, living or otherwise. The town was completely deserted, the still-smoldering, burnt buildings were the only proof that anyone had ever lived in this town before.

Shadow dismounted from his horse, his keen red eyes taking in the damage and already looking for pieces of evidence that others may have missed. For someone who had no formal training, his senses were amazingly attuned, Espio had found.

But Espio was not in the habit of counting on another, fallible man to do the work he needed to do for him. The chameleon only put his trust in the Almighty King, his Son's Sacrifice, and the King's Holy Spirit. He double-checked everyone else's findings.

The chameleon sighed so softly none of his companions heard him and dismounted his own horse, his eyes naturally straying to one house over to the left which miraculously wasn't burned to the ground. It was definitely out-of-place in a town that had been apparently decimated by a large fire, and as such the ninja was instinctively drawn to it as evidence.

His eyes narrowed beneath his mask and he stealthily made his way to the house. It showed signs that it had been ransacked; the windows were smashed out and the door was open, allowing him to see the furniture inside, which had been thrown and tossed in odd directions, apparently while whoever had done this had looked for valuables. It would seem bandits had come, stolen the valuables and torched the rest.

But if that was the case, where were all the people?

"Espio! Over here!" Shadow called from the other side of the square. Espio turned to get a glimpse of the ebony hedgehog, who was holding something the chameleon couldn't make out from here and waving.

Suddenly Shadow went rigid and he stared behind Espio. He spoke again, this time urgently. "Behind you!"

A familiar whizzing noise caught Espio's ears, and the chameleon whirled and, with a grace that spoke of years of training, brought both hands together, catching a knife inches before it met his head. But this was no ordinary knife; this was a Kunai.

A Kunai was the Shinobi Ninja clan's formal method of calling for a challenge between members. The weapon was sort of squared, instead of flat, and it came up to a sharp tip. A round circle ring was fastened at the bottom in which Ninja would tie ribbons. Different colors meant different types of challenges. Catch the Kunai and you automatically accept the challenge. Do not catch it and you die.

The particular color of the ribbon on this Kunai was blood red, signifying a duel to the death.

Espio recalled all this information in the time it took him to drop the Kunai to the ground, grab his Katana, and rush the house, allowing his forward momentum to carry him partially up the wall until he could touch the top of the patio roof, and then he jumped off of that onto the actual roof of the house, where he could get a good look at his opponent.

Although Espio knew he was prepared to face any member of the Clan, he still felt sick at the though of what the red ribbon meant. No quarter was to be given; his opponent would not stop fighting until one of them was dead. It would be difficult to end this fight without killing his opponent, but he was determined to try.

Espio landed gracefully, his Katana held up in front of his face, determination showing in his eyes. He showed no surprise, or indeed any recognition, at the blue chameleon who was awaiting him calmly, his black Dragon Armor repelling even the sunlight.

The blue chameleon stared at Espio calmly, his eyes the only thing betraying the hatred he felt. "Espio," the chameleon said calmly. "I knew you would come."

"Valdez," Espio greeted his younger brother.

The two spoke no further and for a long time they just stood there. Then, fast as lightning, Valdez reached to his belt and grabbed the two Kama that were resting there. A Kama was a small, hand-held sickle, that ninjas would use as one of their weapons of choice.

Valdez jumped at Espio, his Kamas' blade aimed at his older brother's heart. Espio's katana met them and the two stared at each other between the steel of their weapons.

"Why have you left the Shinobi Clan, Valdez?" Espio asked him, suddenly pushing forward with an intensity that forced Valdez to back up and break the hold. The elder chameleon instantly pressed his new advantage, kicking Valdez in the midsection and pressing his blade against the younger man's throat.

"Someone had to reclaim the honor that you stole from our clan when you betrayed us!" Valdez snapped, kicking his leg out and knocking Espio's legs out from under him. Espio fell backwards, but caught himself with his free hand and pushed, using his momentum to backflip and land back on his feet, his blade still in hand and still waiting for Valdez's next move without lowering his defenses.

Valdez gave him an eerie smile. "So, I see that you have not lost your skill, my brother."

"Not my skill nor the clan's honor, Valdez," Espio replied. "I have betrayed no one!"

"LIAR!" Valdez yelled, his body trembling with fury as he rushed Espio, swinging his Kamas' with deadly efficiency. Had not Espio's skill been so great, he would never have been able to block all the deadly blows. The green-skinned chameleon's skill was very great, however, and he repelled his brother's attacks with relative ease.

"You abandoned the clan to follow the teachings of a foreign King who means _nothing _to us or our ways! You betrayed us! You betrayed me!" Valdez screamed as he attacked repeatedly. "All I ever wanted was to follow your footsteps and become a great Ninja like you! I wanted you to be pleased with my progress! But you left me before I even got the chance!"

"It was not my decision to leave," Espio replied. "I tried to stay Valdez; you know I did! The clan leader banished me against my will!"

"The clan leader banished you because you turned your back on our sacred traditions!" Valdez hissed at his older brother, earnestly trying to lop his head off. "You turned your back on the clan for some new teaching of an outsider!"

"I embraced the Truth!" Espio snapped.

"You betrayed everything you had been taught!"

The two fell back slightly, each still with weapons raised, and each took the small respite to catch their breaths as they stared each other down.

* * *

Down on the ground, the other three Commanders were capable of hearing the battle; but they could not see it, nor could they figure out how to get upon the roof themselves. Shadow had tried to see if he could find a way to make it from the inside of the house; only to find that the stairway to the second floor had been smashed and there was no way to climb up. Sally had scouted the outside of the house, but unless they suddenly developed ninja skills they weren't shimmying up anytime soon.

"What can we do?" Sally asked, her hand instinctively clutching her Sword as she strained to hear. It hurt her to know another from the King's Army was fighting for his life and she could do nothing to help. The fact that he was her friend made the pain that much worse.

"Ray, couldn't you fly up there?" Shadow asked, his eyes fixated on the edge of the roof.

"You see, that's a common misconception," Ray replied, the tone of his voice implying that he had been asked the question so many times that his answer was automatic. "But Flying Squirrels actually don't fly. We sort of glide. So I'd have to find a place that I could climb up that is slightly higher than this place that's in range and then…"

All of a sudden Ray seemed to realize that Shadow probably didn't care much about the peculiarities of his species. (The fact that the ebony furred hedgehog was staring at him with annoyance may have helped make that assessment, but I digress.) The flying squirrel blushed. "I'll look for a place," he promised, darting off.

Shadow closed his eyes as the sounds of the battle above him stilled. His stomach did flip flops, but he dared not call out for fear that he might distract Espio during a critical moment and the distraction prove fatal. He could only wait. And pray.

* * *

Up above, Espio desperately tried to speak to his brother, trying to make him understand. "Valdez, the Truth is…"

"Let me guess, it's wonderful, isn't it? And you'd love nothing more than to see me dressed in white armor." Valdez laughed and took a small pouch from his belt. "Well, I always did live to please you, didn't I?" He took a small handful of what appeared to be white dust from the bag and flung it upwards over his head.

Espio's eyes widened as the dust settled upon Valdez's black armor, temporarily staining it a brilliant white.

"You see?" Valdez gave his stunned brother a victorious look. "Just like you always wanted."

It began to dawn on Espio what was going on. His brother appearing here, the dust giving him the ability to change the color of his armor, the recantations…Espio wouldn't even have had to be a good detective to connect these dots. "Valdez," he whispered, his voice betraying the massive amount of horror he felt. "What have you done?"

"I have sacrificed my honor," Valdez told him smugly. "So that I may regain it when I slay you."

Espio set his jaw as Valdez resumed his attack. The two began to fight again, although this time it was silently. No words were exchanged; there was nothing more to say. One thing remained unspoken; yet both seemed to agree that it was true.

The two were no longer brothers.

* * *

Ray found a tree a ways out. He couldn't tell if it was tall enough to give him the height he needed; but he knew he had to see if he could.

The flying squirrel grabbed the lowest branch and started to use his claws to help him dig into the tree bark, slowly climbing up to the top. It seemed to take forever; certainly he never remembered a tree that took longer to climb than this one.

Finally, though, he was sitting on the highest branch that could support his weight, and could now easily see the top of the roof. The tree was definitely too far to jump to the roof from; he would have to glide. There was only one problem.

The tree wasn't high enough. He was level with the house here; if he glided he would loose too much altitude and wouldn't land on the roof. He scanned the distance again, his hand going to his dagger. He was good at throwing it accurately long-distance. Perhaps…

Ray squinted at the two combatants. From this distance, he could tell that they were both chameleons, and both wore white armor. That second fact would disturb him later when he had time; right now he was too busy trying to determine which one was Espio.

He swallowed and drew his dagger. "My King, if ever there was a time I needed you to guide me, it's now," he prayed aloud. "Show me which one is the enemy!"

A loud crack of thunder boomed, and lightning lit up the sky. In the next instant, it a torrential downpour of rain fell from the heavens, drenching Ray and everyone else to the bone. It was cold, too.

The squirrel sighed in despair, then his eyes widened as the white upon one of the armors started to run. In a few moments the rain had washed it away, revealing the black dragon's armor underneath.

"Thank You," Ray whispered, taking aim at the one in black, who raised his weapon for a killing blow. He took a breath and hurled his dagger with all his skill.

* * *

Espio caught one of Valdez's Kama's at the hilt, neatly cleaving it with his blade. Valdez had been expecting that, however. With one lightning swift motion the blue chameleon dropped the now-useless handle and grabbed Espio's wrist. He twisted fiercely, kicking at Espio's other hand with his foot.

This put Espio in the position of either dropping his Katana, or having one or both of his hands broken. He dropped the Sword, deflected Valdez's foot with his free hand, then grabbed the hand Valdez was using to hold him, and used Valdez's own momentum to flip him over his body.

Valdez was up in a moment, triumph in his eyes as he raised his remaining Kama for a killing blow. "Now, I reclaim my lost honor," he said aloud, preparing to strike.

At that moment, Ray's dagger connected with his hand, cutting him deeply enough that he dropped his Kama to the ground and clutched it. Espio quickly kicked the Kama off of the roof and reclaimed his Katana, lowering the tip to Valdez's throat. Then, he quietly resheathed his Sword.

"You are defeated, Valdez. And I will not kill you. The King does not allow us to kill any save Lucifer's demons."

Valdez spat at Espio. "So, you would even deny me an honorable death!" he snapped at him. He reached down to his belt and took out a vile, swallowing the contents in one gulp before Espio could stop him.

"Valdez!" Espio gasped, his face going pale. "You know that was…"

"Poison," Valdez said matter-of-factly. "We Shinobi use it to end our lives should we fail in our mission, as punishment. You…" he winced, the pain he started to feel informing him that the poison was working its way through his body. "Should know that…right?"

"Valdez…" Espio swiftly made his way to Valdez's side, holding the younger chameleon up. "Valdez…" he swallowed back his emotions as he saw the light fading from Valdez's eyes. "It's not too late, brother. The King can still forgive…I can still forgive."

Valdez gave him a weak smile. "I wondered…" he gasped, then began again. "I wondered if you'd…actually try to save me," he admitted. "After what I'd done."

"You'd never do too much wickedness Valdez," Espio said, trying desperately to save his brother's soul before time ran out. "You can never do too much! Please, little brother, please..."

"I have...learned much from my time infiltrating the Citizens," Valdez admitted, his eyes getting a far-off look. "The ones who would not recant…I admired them, their courage…their faith. What they spoke of the King…I began to long for that…to have what they had…"

"You can, Valdez, it's not too late," Espio insisted. Valdez was getting weaker; there was not much time.

"Really?" Valdez tried to smile, but ended up coughing. "Is it really?"

"Really, Valdez," Espio assured him. "You can have what they had. It's not too late."

"I want it," Valdez whispered, so weak he could barely talk, and his words started to slur. Tears fell from his eyes. "'M sorry. So sorry."

**"You are forgiven." **

Valdez's eyes had been closed, but they snapped open again at the new voice. His eyes fell on a burning white dove, sitting next to him and Espio.

**"You are forgiven," **the dove told him. **"And today you shall see the Prince of Peace, with your own eyes, and hear the words from His own lips."**

Valdez managed to smile again, a peace enveloping him. His eyes widened as he looked upward, and he grasped Espio's hands.

"Espio…it's so beautiful," he whispered, and then he gasped. "The Prince! I see Him Espio! I see Him! You…you were right…" Then his eyes closed and he breathed his last upon this earth.

Espio bowed his head, allowing himself a moment of grief for his brother's passing. Then his eyes went to the dove. "Thank You," he whispered.

The dove looked back at him and cooed.

* * *

"The rain is perfect," Jacques D'Coolette told the captive children softly, so as not to be overheard by the guards. "It'll provide cover."

Belle shook her head. "It won't matter," she whispered back. "Ya'll have tried ta escape three times now. The guards watch ya like hawks. Non, ya can't get away, not even in the rain."

Jacques paused, thinking over Belle's words. "Maybe," he admitted grudgingly. "But maybe the King'll help me get away."

"I could go."

This new voice gave them pause, and the two looked down to the youngest child that had been taken. Little Charmy Bee had just turned six years old two months ago; and he was looking up at the two older children with wide blue eyes. "The guards won't think of looking at me!" he chirped, trying to look determined.

Jacques shook his head. "It's too dangerous Charmy. You can't go all by yourself."

"I won't be!" Charmy insisted. "The King's with me, and the Prince, and Grumbly!" He held out his teddy bear, affectionately named Grumbly, to prove his arguments. "I don't care if it's dager…ganger…" he frowned as he tried to form the correct word, then gave up. "The King'll help me and I'll find some grown-ups to come and stop the bad people for us!"

"And what if the bad people catch you?" Jacques asked, still trying to dissuade him.

"Then I'll fly away where he can't get me!" Charmy said, sounding proud at having come up with a plan all by himself.

"You can't fly in the rain, Charmy," Belle reminded him.

"Oh," Charmy hadn't thought of that. He frowned, thinking hard. Finally his eyes lit up and he said, "Then I'll scream! And I'll scream and scream and scream so hard that they'll go away so I'll stop screaming!"

"Charmy, the answer is non, and that's final," Jacques told him sternly. "Go and sit down. I'll try to escape again."

Charmy stuck out his lower lip, obviously pouting, but he went and sat with the other kids while Jacques looked for an opportunity to escape.

He soon saw an opportunity when the guard who had been watching their tent so they couldn't come out fell asleep. He quietly snuck passed him and made a break for the woods as fast as he can.

A shout soon told him that he'd been seen and mere seconds later something hit him hard and he fell to the ground with a cry. Someone laughed and picked him up by his collar.

Jacques regained his breath, silently thanked the King that it hadn't been an arrow that had struck him at least, and glared at his captor.

"Leaving already?" Geoffrey St. John asked him. "Surely you must enjoy our accommodations."

"Let me go!" Jacques demanded, trying to kick Geoffrey's shin. Geoffrey's shin was, sadly, just out of reach. "You let me go!"

"Shut up, you little urchin," Geoffrey snapped, tossing him back in the tent with the other children. "If anyone comes out of there again, shoot them," he ordered his men loudly so that the children inside could hear. "There will be no more attempted escapes."

Jacques slumped, feeling utterly defeated. "So much for that," he muttered. "Now how are we going to get help?"

"We could pray even harder than before," a seven year-old wolf cub named Lyco said after some thought. She was sitting with her twin sister Leeta.

Leeta picked up on her sister's idea and added, "And the King will send somebody to help us without us telling them!"

The kids cheered up at that thought; of course! It was all so simple. It was a wonder they hadn't thought of it before.

Jacques nodded. "Then it's settled." He looked around, then his eyes widened. "Belle," He gasped. "Where is Charmy?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Charmy was happily skipping through the forest, having successfully eluded capture. Jacques may not have escaped, but he made for a great distraction. Not even the kids in the tent had noticed when Charmy had managed to crawl out from underneath the tent and had gone the opposite way as Jacques. He and Grumbly had escaped with the ease of a master escape artist.

"Don't worry guys," he said aloud, wishing his friends could actually hear him. "I'll find help and come back for you!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Apparently there are more fans of Skillet than of any other band I've used, because I've gotten at least one review asking me to use more Skillet songs. Surprised me enough that I searched through my Skillet albums to see if I had another song I could use for this chapter and surprise surprise! I found the perfect song. Who knew.**

* * *

**Chapter 9-Face Your Fears**

**For I can do everything through Christ, who strengthens me.-Philipians 4:13 (NLT)**

**I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.-Psalms 34:4**

**I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow**

**I don't wanna live like this today**

**Make me feel better! I wanna feel better!**

**Stay with me here now and never surrender**

**Never surrender**

**-**_**Never Surrender,**_** Skillet**

* * *

_A deep fog pierced everything. Antoine felt like it was going to choke him in an oppressive coldness. The hairs on this body stood on end and he couldn't stop the familiar trembling he'd struggled with all his life. His heart seemed to be pounding in his ears. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this alone._

_"'Ello?" the coyote called into the darkness, his voice cracking. He swallowed, wet his lips, and tried again. "Ees…ees aneeone 'ere?"_

_"Antoine!"_

_His ears perked up and he gasped at the familiar voice. "Bunnie?" he cried, looking around excitedly. "My amour, where are you?"_

_"Antoine, help me!"_

_Antoine desperately started to run through the fog, trying in vain to pierce through the thickness to see his beloved wife. "Where are you?" he cried. "Bunnie, cher, answar me!"_

_"Antoine! Don't jes stand there, sugah, help me!" By now, Bunnie's voice sounded panicked. Antoine tripped over something on the ground the fog had prevented him from seeing, and he fell heavily, scraping his hands. Instantly the fog was gone. In its place was the village center of Mercia, and he was once again bound as he watched his beloved Bunnie face her death._

_"Non!" Antoine cried. "Non again! Let me go, I cannot bear to lose 'er again!"_

_"Nobody's holding you, you craven little coward," Geoffrey scoffed, with a wicked grin on his face. "Come and get her."_

_Antoine suddenly realized it was true. Nobody was holding him down and his hands were not tied. He quickly went for his sword…and suddenly blinding, raw terror gripped him so tightly he could barely breath, much less move._

_Bunnie looked up at him, her face showing her agony. "Sugah, what are ya doin'?" she asked, sounding heartbroken. "Don't ya even love me enough to even try to save me?"_

_"B-Bunnie, I…" his throat seemed to constrict and he couldn't even speak to her. The terror was all-consuming. He used to feel this terror all the time, but things had changed once he had given himself to the King. The King had given him the courage he needed to function. If he was so frightened now, did that mean…?_

_'My Keeng, why ees thees 'appeneeng? Why am I too scared to move? 'Ave You abandoned me fullee?' the coyote thought, sheer agony coursing through him as his own traitor body refused to fight against the fear that enveloped him._

_"Ah though ya loved me," were Bunnie's pained last words as Geoffrey killed her…_

_"Non!" Antoine screamed as the images faded from his view, leaving him all alone in nothing but thick blackness. "I could 'ave saved 'er! Why could I not move? Why?"_

_The world began to shake, crumbling in on itself. Antoine was too wracked in his grief to care. He simply sobbed into his hands, murmuring, "Désolé, amour. Désolé, Je suis si désolé …"_

_"Antoine!" Another voice broke into the world, and the shaking intensified. "Wake up!"_

* * *

Antoine's eyes flew open he shot up, gasping for breath. He looked around, trying to ascertain his location. He was in the clearing, pink strands of light were showing above the trees to suggest morning was upon them, and Knuckles was violently shaking him in order to wake him up. The echidna sighed with relief when he saw that Antoine was more or less awake, if not confused and disoriented.

"Thank God," Knuckles said, sounding relieved. "You were having one heck of a nightmare, Antoine."

A nightmare. That's all it had been. It hadn't been his cowardness that had killed Bunnie after all. He'd been restrained, he _couldn't _have helped her. He'd tried. He'd struggled against his bonds, he hadn't simply let her die.

Knuckles seemed to realize that Antoine still looked a little out of it. "Are you ok?"

Antoine took a deep breath and gave the echidna a weak smile. "Oui, I am fine. Eet was nuzing, just a petite female 'orse of ze night."

"OK," Knuckles nodded, getting a little better at understanding Antoine. "But for future reference, a 'nightmare' has nothing to do with female horses. Even if they are called 'mares.'"

Antoine gave him a blank look, obviously not comprehending how there could be no correlation. "Oh," he finally said, accepting that Knuckles must know more about such things than he did.

"So, now that we're awake, how about some breakfast?" Knuckles quickly scrounged up some leftovers from the night before and the two ate in silence, Knuckles because he preferred not to speak, and Antoine because he was still highly disturbed about the dream he had endured…

* * *

It was about this time that Charmy Bee stumbled out of the woods and found himself on the outskirts of a large town. The child looked at it excitedly and hugged his bear.

"We made it, Grumbly!" he told it. "We're sure to find some good grownups to help us here."

What Charmy didn't know, was that the denizens of this city would be more likely to sell him back to his captors for profit than help him rescue the other children. The town and its townspeople were violently opposed to the King and His laws; they chased away or killed any of His citizens who came near, for they wished to do whatever they pleased, and most of what they pleased was exceedingly wicked. That's not to say _everyone _was _completely _wicked; there were people, shockingly few considering the population, who weren't so corrupt. But the odds of Charmy finding one of these people were slim to none.

Of course, Charmy didn't know this. Most of the grown-ups in Mercia were nice grownups, who were so strong and wise they could handle _any _of his problems. Sure, his mommy and daddy had told him that bad people lived in the world and that he mustn't talk to strangers, but surely they were just talking about those mean people who came to their town. To his young mind every bad grown-up in the universe existed in the group that had taken him and the other children and who had done such bad things to the good grown ups of the village.

In spite of his complete ignorance on the dangers and evils of the world, Charmy was quite knowledgeable of one thing: when something good happens, like when you find a town where you can get help, it's only proper to thank the King for it. You always thanked the King for good things, and also when you ate food. Why, that was obvious.

Charmy quickly got on his knees and cupped his hands together the way Mommy had taught him. "Dear King," he prayed. "It's me again, Charmy. I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you last night. These bad men came and took us all away, and I forgot. Mommy usually reminds me but they did something to her and she wouldn't get up when we went away…" he sniffled a bit, while he wasn't entirely sure _what _had happened to his parents, he knew it had been very bad if they wouldn't even get up to tell him good-bye. He wiped tears from his eyes and continued. "Thank You for helping me get away from the bad people, and thank You for helping me find this town. Will You help me find the perfect person to help us? Thank You for doing that too. Amen."

Charmy stood up and looked around. The first thing he saw was a beautiful white bird who was sitting on the ground in front of him. Charmy's eyes widened in delight. He thought He must be the most wonderful bird in the whole universe.

"Hi, Mr. Bird," Charmy told Him. "I'm Charmy. Want to be my friend?"

The Bird chuckled warmly. **"Why, Charmy, we are already friends."**

Charmy's eyes got a little bigger. "Really?" he asked, delighted that the bird was friends with him. He didn't think it at all strange that a non-anthromorphic animal was speaking to him. They spoke all the time in the storybooks his Daddy read to him, so he thought it must be quite natural.

"**Yes, Charmy. I like you very much,**" The bird assured him.

Charmy beamed at that news. "I'm on a special mission," he told the bird. "Do you want to come help me?"

"**Yes,"** The bird told him. **"In fact, the King Himself sent Me to help you."**

Charmy squealed and clapped his hands. "I _knew_ He was going to help me!" he said happily, gaining him another chuckle from the bird.

"**Listen closely Charmy," **the bird instructed him. **"There is a man here that will help you, and I will help you find him. He will seem very mean at first, but you must remember that he's not really mean. He's just sad because he does not know the King yet."**

Charmy's jaw dropped. "Didn't his mommy and daddy tell him?" he asked. It was unthinkable that a Mommy and Daddy wouldn't tell you about the King, because He was really important and Mommy's and Daddy's job was to teach you important stuff.

As if He knew what Charmy was thinking, the bird shook his head. **"No, Charmy, his Mommy and Daddy didn't do their job and teach him about the King. So now the King wants it to be your job."**

"Me?" Charmy shrieked, pointing to himself.

"**Do you think you can do this very important job?"**

Charmy nodded, puffing his chest out. "I listened very good and I know everything my Mommy and Daddy taught me," he said.

"**I know you did, Charmy," **the bird chuckled. **"The King is very impressed with how well you learned."**

Charmy's grin got bigger. It was a very wonderful thing to impress the King, after all.

"**Charmy, I'm going to fly into the city, and I want you to follow me, OK?" **the bird informed him. **"Now, don't talk to any strangers except for the man I am sending you too. You'll know who the man I want you to talk to is because I will fly over his head and stay there until everything is arranged. Don't be afraid of him, because the King is with you and this man is going to help you. And remember that it's your job to teach him about the King."**

"I'll remember," Charmy promised, crossing his heart to show his sincerity.

* * *

Knuckles finished the last of the bread and brushed himself off, making sure to keep an eye on his new traveling companion. Antoine still seemed rather pale, and he was eating very slowly, as if he had something oppressing on his mind. The echidna didn't distract him, as he had no idea what he should do about it, and besides, Antoine didn't appear like he wanted to talk anyway.

There was a low growl of thunder and he frowned, looking up at the sky, which was overcast. It had rained earlier, and it looked like it would rain again. He hoped it wouldn't though; nothing smelt worse than a wet echidna. Although he'd heard that wet dogs were close seconds and Antoine was definitely a member of the dog family. Anyway, those were definitely good reasons to hope for no rain. They'd been lucky the tent had protected them the last time, who knew where they'd be if it happened again?

A small coo came to Knuckles' ears and he grinned, recognizing it. He looked over to see the Spirit looking up at him expectantly, sitting on the ground. Although he believed Antoine when he said the King's Spirit was always with them whether he was aware of it or not, he felt better being able to tell that He was there.

Knuckles had no idea that not only was the Spirit sitting with him, He was also guiding a six-year-old bee _and _was comforting a grieving chameleon who had just lost his brother; as well as doing numerous other tasks as well. The King's Holy Spirit wasn't confined to one place at a time; he could be everywhere, and doing everything, all at the exact same time.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Knuckles told the Spirit honestly.

The Spirit gazed at Knuckles, seeming to pierce into his soul. **"I AM always with you, Knuckles,"** He reminded him.

Antoine had also spotted the Spirit and was quickly walking towards them. Whatever had been bothering him earlier seemed to be resolved; he looked nothing but determined and eager as he approached the King's Spirit.

"**Antoine,"** the Spirit greeted him warmly. **"Are you ready to follow Me?"**

Antoine nodded. "I am always readee to follow you," he replied.

"**Then come," **the Spirit said, taking flight. **"We will go through the Sarkikos Cave to catch up with them."**

Knuckles did not know what the Sarkikos Cave was, but apparently Antoine did. The coyote's eyes grew round as saucers and he started to tremble so slightly Knuckles barely perceived it.

The Spirit seemed to notice Antoine's reaction. **"Will you follow Me?" **He asked, looking straight at the coyote.

Antoine nodded without hesitation. "Oui. To ze death," he vowed, starting off after the Spirit.

Knuckles frowned, looking at Antoine critically. He didn't appear to be trembling now, and anyway, why would he tremble in the first place? A cave didn't sound so bad.

He must have imagined it. There was no way a Commander in the King's army could be afraid of a stupid little cave.

* * *

Charmy didn't like this part of town at _all. _It was much duller than the other side of the town, and many buildings were empty, with windows broken into and boards upon the doors. The people out on the street didn't seem very nice either. The either ignored him or gave him mean glares as he passed them.

But he wasn't really scared, because he could still see the beautiful bird flying above him. He knew that the King had sent the pretty bird, and the King wouldn't let anyone hurt him. As long as he stayed with the bird, he was positive he would be ok.

Finally, the bird led him to a building that had loud music coming out of it, and people talking and singing loudly. Charmy started to go into the door, but the bird flew in front of him and shook His head no. Charmy nodded and stepped back, wondering what would happen.

After awhile, the door opened and Charmy got a glimpse inside. There were people inside looking at little pieces of paper and taking big drinks of some kind of yellow drink that he'd never seen before. He couldn't see anymore, because a big razorback pig was blocking his view. He had a crocodile by his vest and he threw the croc out into the street.

"And don't come back, you bum," the pig warned, slamming the door shut.

The crocodile sat up and brushed himself off. He wore a brown vest that was faded and jagged, and some light brown pants. A teeny tiny knife was wrapped around one of his legs. "Aw, yer mother smokes ham!" the crocodile yelled at the building tauntingly.

Charmy wanted to leave. Obviously, anyone who would get thrown out of a building and make fun of someone else's mommy couldn't be a very nice person. But to his surprise, the pretty bird flew over the crocodile's head and stayed there, which was the sign that this was the man that Charmy was supposed to talk too.

Understandably anxious, Charmy looked at the bird again, his eyes going wide. The bird simply nodded. This was definitely him. Charmy gulped and stepped forward.

"Hi, mister," he said.

The crocodile looked up at him and snorted. "Beat it, kid," he snapped. "I ain't got nuthin' you can get yer grubby little paws on." With that, he stood up and walked away.

This was _definitely _not the response Charmy had been wanting. He lowered his head and sniffled. Obviously he had made a mistake and that wasn't the right person at all. But now what was he supposed to do?

His eye caught sight of something brown and thick by the street and Charmy reached down and picked up a thin money pouch. His eyes widened as he felt the money inside; it was probably a lot. The crocodile must have dropped his pouch. Charmy looked around, but the man was gone.

"**Charmy!"**

At the bird's voice Charmy looked to the left and saw his friend.

"**He w****ent this way, Charmy," **the bird instructed him, starting to fly off.

Eager to do the right thing and give the money back to the man, even if he _was _mean, Charmy took off following the bird. After a few turns he could see the crocodile in front of him.

"Mister! Hey mister!" Charmy called.

The crocodile turned and stared at him, looking very unhappy. Charmy, quite out of breath from running, held up the money pouch. "You dropped this, mister," he said.

The crocodile's eyes widened and he grabbed the pouch. "Don't you move," he warned Charmy harshly as he opened it and started to count the coins.

Charmy wasn't sure why he shouldn't move, but he was tired from running and didn't feel much like moving anyway.

The crocodile counted the coins, frowned, then counted them again. Then a wide grin split his face and he looked at Charmy as if pleasantly surprised.

"Well!" he said. "An honest street urchin. Now I've seen everything. Thanks, kid."

"You're welcome, mister," Charmy said, still huffing for breath.

The crocodile didn't seem quite so mean anymore. He seemed to be studying Charmy. "Ya got parents, kid?"

Charmy frowned. "Yeah, I did, mister, but these bad people came and did sumthin' to 'em," he admitted, feeling his eyes tear up. "Then they took me away and my parents wouldn't get up no more."

The crocodile winced. "That's too bad, kid," he said sympathetically.

Charmy wiped his eyes. "My name's Charmy, mister, not 'kid,'" he explained.

The croc smirked. "Yeah? Well, if your name ain't kid, my name ain't mister. It's Vector. Vector Crocodile."

"Hi, Vector," Charmy told him. "Can you help me?"

Vector was silent for a long time. "Maybe, k-Charmy. We'll see. In the meantime, are ya hungry?"

Charmy nodded eagerly, and Vector held out his hand, which Charmy took without hesitation. He looked over Vector's head and saw the pretty bird was still flying overtop it. The bird winked at him and nodded, letting him know that the King was still watching him and that the bird was staying too. Charmy felt a lot better.

* * *

There was no doubt about it. Antoine was trembling so bad it was a wonder he wasn't about to turn into Jello. It got worse the closer they got to the cave. It was fairly obvious the coyote was scared out of his wits. It was equally obvious that Antoine would neither stop, nor even question the Spirit's choice of paths anytime soon. Knuckles wasn't sure if he should think less of Antoine for being frightened, or be impressed that he wasn't letting his fear keep him from doing what needed to be done. He finally decided to reserve his judgment until he knew more about the situation.

When they finally reached the Sarkikos Cave, he decided he should probably be impressed with Antoine. It even made _him _nervous to look at it. Stalagmites and stalactites formed at the mouth in such a way to make it look as if it were an evil mouth waiting to swallow them up. He couldn't see more than two inches inside; the rest was blacker than midnight. The wind rushed through it in a way to make it seem as if it was moaning.

"Is this it?" Knuckles asked, and at the sound of his voice, shrieking came from the cave and dozens of bats flew out, running into him and Antoine.

Knuckles could have kicked himself when he saw Antoine turn as white as snow and bury his head in his hands, giving a small whimper.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"No," Antoine admitted miserably.

The Spirit landed in front of them and cleared his throat. **"As Knuckles does not yet know of the evils of the Sarkikos Cave, listen closely to me. This cave is one of Lucifer's strongholds. It uses each persons own weaknesses against them, trying to tempt them from the path. Once inside, it is imperative that you both **_**keep your eyes on Me**_**. Do not look off to the left or the right, no matter what temptations the cave brings to you. If you look away, there is a strong chance that you will be lost in the cave for eternity."**

Knuckles swallowed, not relishing the thought of being lost inside that cave forever. No wonder Antoine was having such a hard time with this!

The Spirit looked at Antoine kindly. **"You know you do not have to go through with this, Antoine. I AM not dependant on any man. I can find another way to save the children."**

Antoine shook his head, obviously trying to keep from trembling. "Non. To be choseen to sarve You een zees way ees a privy-ledge. I weel non go back as long as You are 'ere weeth me."

"**I AM always with you, Antoine," **The Spirit told him gently. Antoine took a breath as the Spirit calmed his mind. **"Are you ready?"**

"Oui," Antoine replied.

"I'm ready too," Knuckles added.

With that, the Spirit flew into the cave, the two men hot on his heels, each with their eyes firmly on Him.

* * *

Knuckles wasn't sure of the great temptation he would face, but he was determined not to give into it. For a time, nothing happened. It was simply dark on each side of the cave; a small glow above the Spirit was the only light.

Then, all of a sudden, he saw a flash of green off to his left. He almost looked away in his surprise, but caught himself in time and continued to look forward. Lucifer was going to have to do a lot better than appeal to his curiosity to get him to look away!

It was then that he heard Tikal's voice. "Hurry, Knuckles, before it's too late!"

Knuckles blinked and his ears perked up. "Tikal?" he asked, confused. Wasn't Tikal bound inside the Master Emerald? How…

"Hurry, Knuckles, he's going to destroy the Emerald!"

The green flash! Was that…the Master Emerald? But…obviously there was a mistake. He had given the Master Emerald up. It had no hold on him anymore. So of course it wouldn't be tempting to turn to look at it.

"No, stop!" Tikal's voice was becoming more frantic. "Knuckles, you _must _come quickly!"

He couldn't seem to help it. Every fiber of his carnal flesh wanted so badly to look. And the Spirit was right in front of him. A half second, just a quick turn of the head, wouldn't do anything bad, right? But why should he want to look at all?

Why was this so hard?

"Knuckles!"

The temptation overwhelmed him, and Knuckles looked over to the voice. In an instant, long vines with jagged thorns upon them began to wrap around his arms, legs, waist, everything. The pain was intense. "Ah!" Knuckles screamed as the thorny vines wrapped him tighter and tighter, trapping him until he couldn't let go. He could not look up to see the Spirit because they wrapped him so thoroughly. He was starting to have trouble breathing.

He was trapped in his own temptation, and he no longer even had the strength to scream for someone to help him.

* * *

Antoine's own temptation was every bit as excruciating as Knuckles' had been.

"Poppa, 'elp me!" he heard his daughter, Belle, scream from the left.

"Don' let 'em kill us, Poppa!" His son begged from the right.

Antoine tried to stop his ears, but the voices of his children rang through as loud as ever. He wanted so badly to look, just to prove to himself that they weren't there. It seemed to envelope him.

"No!" he yelled loudly. "Antoine D'Coolette, you weel *_NOT* _look away! Eet does non matter 'ow badly you want too, eet ees a sin to disobey ze King's commandments and you _weel non do zat!_" He took a deep breath and realized that he didn't hear the voices quite as loudly as he had been. He began to remember the Scriptures he had memorized, and he spoke them aloud, never taking his eyes off the King's Spirit. When he couldn't remember any more, he sang. The temptation was still there, but he determined in his heart not to fall for it, and he had disciplined himself well enough to be able to tell his carnal flesh _no_ and stick to his answer.

Even so, it was with great relief when he saw light signifying the end of the cave. He practically threw himself out of it and literally kissed the blessed, not-tempting-him-constantly ground. "Zank goodness!" he said with relief. "We made it."

Antoine was so happy to be out of the cave that he hadn't yet noticed that Knuckles had not answered him. But presently, it occurred to him that his companion was awful quiet, even for him, and the coyote looked around worriedly. "Knuckles?" he called.

"**He stumbled, Antoine," **the Spirit said sadly. **"He is still within the cave."**

Antoine's eyes widened. "Non! Ees zere no way zat 'ee can be saved?"

"**There is," **the Spirit admitted. **"Someone must go inside and guide him out."**

"But of course You weel go," Antoine said, feeling relief as he realized what the logical conclusion would be.

"**I can go, but I cannot help him alone. The poison within the vines that entangle him will have dulled his senses so that he cannot see or understand me. You will have to go back to help him through the cave until the poison is flushed from his system," **the Spirit explained.

Antoine's pupils dilated as he realized that this ultimately meant one thing: he had to go back inside that thing. "Eep," was the only sound he could get his mouth to produce.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10—Back On Track**

**"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."—Psalms 46:10**

**Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.—1 Chronicles 16:11**

**Oh, I don't want to let go**

**Of all the things that I know**

**Are keeping me away from my life**

**Oh, I don't want to slow down**

**No, I don't want to look around**

**But I can't seem to work it out**

**So help me, God**

**-**_**Slow Down,**_** Third Day**

* * *

"Espio, are you certain you want to do this?" Sally asked, her body rigid, showing her frustration.

"I am," Espio replied. "It was wrong for me to act without seeking the King's guidance first. I mustn't repeat that mistake."

Sally felt more than a little upset. Valdez had been carrying a letter of recommendation signed by one of the two suspects they were investigating, proving beyond any doubt his guilt in the matter. She felt they must hurry so that they could catch up to him before he discovered they were onto him and vanished. They had already lost much time by agreeing to make sure Valdez had a decent burial, and now Espio was refusing to come with them to confront the criminal behind these atrocities!

"How do you know the King doesn't want you to come with us?" she pointed out.

"Because I sought His face for comfort when Valdez was dying—grief and sorrow so often brings us back to where we should never have left," Espio replied, half-introspectively. "I did what I should have done the moment I learned of this threat; I asked for guidance concerning my next step. I am not supposed to be a part of this mission. I am out of step with the Spirit and I must remedy that."

"Did he tell you what you were supposed to do?" Shadow asked calmly.

"I am supposed to go to Gamor," Espio replied, saddling his horse.

Sally couldn't contain herself. "Gamor! That wretched, wicked city? Why on earth would any King's Citizen go there?"

Espio paused and looked Sally in the eyes, seeming to pierce into her very soul. "Because the King asked them too," he replied. Sally blushed with shame and hung her head, not arguing further.

"May the King go before you," Shadow told Espio as the chameleon mounted.

"And with you," Espio replied. "Hah!" he ordered his horse, slapping the reigns. The horse reared slightly and took off running towards the city of Gamor.

* * *

Shadow watched him until he was out of sight, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Out of step…how did he know _he _was not out of step as well? He'd never sought the King's guidance concerning this matter either. How foolish to allow himself to get so busy he forgot what was truly important!

"Come on," Sally ordered, as she and Ray mounted up on their horses. "We have to hurry."

"You two go ahead," Shadow replied. "I'll catch up. I have…something I need to take care of, first."

Sally frowned, obviously displeased with his choice. "Alright, but hurry," she replied, kicking her heels into her horse's side. The animal took off in the opposite direction Espio had gone, and Ray's horse followed her without hesitation.

Shadow watched them leave, feeling intently aware of the silence that accompanied his companion's departure. He swallowed, took a deep breath, and assumed the most important position he had ever learned—that of kneeling in prayer.

* * *

"Hope yer hungry, kid," Vector grinned as Charmy looked wide-eyed at the food the waitress had brought them. The diner Vector had brought the bee probably should have been condemned by now, but as there were plenty of people like Vector, who preferred to eat someplace cheap that they could afford than some fancy-smancy place that didn't have bugs crawling on the floor, it remained open.

The food consisted of a loaf of bread—probably stale but at least it wasn't green—some beef jerky, a hunk of cheese, and a couple glasses of water. But to Charmy, who was starving, it looked like a gourmet meal. And the excited and pleased look on his face almost made Vector able to pretend that the food wasn't all that bad. Almost.

"Well, dig in, kid," Vector encouraged him, reaching up and grabbing a piece of jerky, ripping into it with his teeth. After chewing a few moments, the crocodile realized that the bee wasn't only not eating, he was looking at him like he'd grown another head.

Swallowing the food in his mouth, Vector frowned at Charmy and asked, "What's yer problem?"

"Ain't cha gonna thank the King?" Charmy asked innocently.

Vector fought pretty hard to keep from laughing in the kid's face, and he felt like he'd done a pretty good job of it, too. Still, he couldn't stop the snort that escaped from his lips. "Thank the King? For this? Kid, the last thing I want to do is say 'thank you' to your imaginary friend, and even if I did, it certainly wouldn't be for this…stuff," he finished rather lamely, looking at the food critically. He wondered if he could think of something accurate to call it that he'd feel comfortable repeating around the kid.

Charmy giggled. "Silly, the King's not an _imaginary _friend, he's a _real _friend!"

"Uh, yeah, sure, whatever you need to tell yourself, kid," Vector said agreeably, not really wishing to upset the bee.

"Watch, it's easy," Charmy insisted, cupping his hands together. "You put your hands together like this…" he looked up and frowned as Vector wasn't imitating him. "It's really, really easy," he said encouragingly. "Anybody can do it. See?" he held his hands a little higher so Vector could get a better look.

Vector was starting to realize that Charmy wasn't going to let him get out of this. The crocodile quickly looked around, hoping with every fiber of his being that nobody he knew would come in and see him doing this, and half-heartedly held his hands in a poor imitation of Charmy's own. "Happy?" he hissed at the bee, feeling his cheeks color.

"That's very good," Charmy said, thinking the compliment would help Vector feel more at ease. It didn't, but that was entirely Vector's own fault.

"Now, say what I say: The King is great, the King is good, let us thank him for our food," Charmy sing-songed the catchy rhyme his mother had taught him.

Vector felt his face grow hotter and he stammered out Charmy's rhyme, only to forget it halfway through. His recitation sounded something like: "The King is great, the King…uh…is sweet…uh…let's eat."

Charmy giggled. "That's very good," he said approvingly.

"Whatever kid. Just don't make me do that again, ok?" Vector requested. That had been, in his opinion, the most humiliating thing he'd ever done without being promised some kind of payment. But at least the kid was eating now.

* * *

After the meal was over and Vector led the kid back outside, Charmy refocused on his mission at hand. "Mr. Vector, can you help me, please?"

"What's buggin' ya, kid?" Vector asked, thinking that perhaps some neighborhood bullies were roughing Charmy up. No biggy.

Charmy quickly told Vector everything that had happed to him and the other children up to this point. As he listened, the crocodile went from mildly amused to seriously alarmed, especially when Charmy gave him a description of the main kidnapper.

Geoffrey St. John was well known here in Vector's home city of Gamor. Crossing him was quite literally a death sentence. At the very least, he'd never be able to show his face in Gamor again, and lose what little income he had, because his clients wouldn't be caught dead hiring a blacklisted man.

"…So can you help me, Vector?" Charmy asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Vector opened his mouth, a negative forming on his lips. "Sorry, kiddo but I…" he couldn't finish. At the word 'sorry' he could see Charmy's face start to fall and tears fill his eyes.

"You don't wanna help us?" Charmy asked, his voice trembling.

"It's not that," Vector protested, feeling like a first rate heel for trying to save his skin at the expense of a bunch of kids. "It's just that if I tried to stand up to St. John, I'd never be able to get another client for the rest of my life."

"What's a client?" Charmy asked.

"It's somebody who pays me money to do something for 'em," Vector explained. "I'm a mercenary kid; it's how I make my living. Now, if you'd pay me to stand up to him, that'd be different. Even if he hated me, nobody else would hate a merc for attacking the most powerful man in the city if I was being offered enough loot. Other people would definitely hire me then. Might even help my rep."

Charmy considered a while, then looked at his favorite teddy bear. He nodded and offered it up to Vector. "Grizzly's the bestest bear in the whole world," he said seriously. "I bet he's enough loot for you to help us, right?"

Vector looked at the ragged teddy bear and grimaced. "It's going to take a lot more than that, kiddo," he admitted.

"Oh," Charmy said sadly.

Unknown to Vector, the Spirit was still hovering above him. The bird took this time to fly next to Vector's ear and start whispering. _**"The boy is willing to give up the most valuable possession he owns to help others."**_He whispered. _**"Perhaps there is something more to this King story than you thought. And is there really no way you can help?"**_

Vector honestly believed the Spirit's whispers were his own thoughts. He bit his lip, considering them seriously. Then the proverbial light bulb went off over his head. "I got it!" he said, causing Charmy to look up expectantly.

"What is it, Vector?" Charmy asked.

"Look kid, if I don't want to be blacklisted by going against St. John, I need a client to pay me a huge sum of money. The thing is, nobody said he had to pay me my wages all at once. I'll spread the word that somebody's offered me one hundred thousand rings to rescue your buddies—that'll be enough; I know plenty of merc's who'd sell their souls for that much loot. Now, afterwards, you become my apprentice. I'll teach you the trade, give ya room and board, and whatever money you make before yer 21'll go to me, ta pay fer my services. After yer 21, ya can just give me a percentage of yer pay so you can continue ta pay back whatever's left but still have a means of livelihood. Whatdaya think?"

Charmy wasn't entirely sure what Vector meant, but he did understand that the crocodile meant for him to go work for him until he could pay back the money needed to rescue his friends. Charmy thought it was a very good idea, and he said as much.

"Great, glad you think so," Vector was quite excited with this new plan of his and was ready to implement it at once; but even through his excitement he saw Charmy yawn and realized that it was getting dark and the kid had to be exhausted.

"C'mon kid, you can bed down at my place," Vector said, leading Charmy back to the run down-shack that masqueraded as his house. He let Charmy in and watched as the kid fell asleep on his bed; then he laid down on his couch, his mind still full of the plans he intended to make.

"Vector, this is yer best idea ever," he chuckled to himself. "Ya get ta save a bunch of kids from a bunch of crooks, punch St John right in his smug little mouth without fear of long-term repercussions employment wise, give a cute little orphan boy a place ta stay, food, and a means of livelihood, _and _you make a profit and increase yer rep."

Sure, Geoffrey St. John and his goons would put a bounty on his head and try their best to make him dead, but not everything in life was rainbows and buttercups. As long as he could keep potential clients coming through his door, he would be able to handle it. He was Vector the Crocodile, and nuthin' was too dangerous for him to handle.

The next day, Vector was up bright and early, busy spreading around his rumor that he was getting paid big bucks to bump off St. John's operation. By midday the most of the more underhanded parts of the city knew about it; and he knew that by the time he actually made his move against St. John the whole city would know. If he was lucky he could find a few valuable items in the bad guy's camp that he could use to 'confirm' his story afterwards, but it wasn't really needed. The fact that he was actually going to go through with it would make most people believe he was on the level, which he was, (in a manner of speaking) and if anyone did ask, he could just claim that the no-good imaginary client had run off while he was gone without paying him. It was a common enough occurrence that it was easily believable.

* * *

Meanwhile, Charmy was just waking up after a very good night's sleep. The first thing he saw, to his great joy, was his bird friend. "Hi, Mr. Bird," Charmy said, still half-asleep.

"Hello, Charmy," the bird said pleasantly. "Are you ready to get up?"

Charmy sat up and rubbed is eyes. "Yes, sir," he said, looking around. His eyes widened as he saw the thing that was under the bird's feet. "What is that, Mr. Bird?"

"This is a present the King sent you," the bird told him stepping out of the way so Charmy could get a better look.

It was a small plastic sword, and a small, plastic set of armor, that looked very much like the ones his daddy had worn. Charmy gave a shout of joy and scrambled to put it on; quite thrilled to be dressed in King's Armor made just for him. The plastic was very light, which was to be expected, for his little body couldn't support heavy metal or even thick leather. From a human viewpoint, the armor was little better than an amusing toy. But only a fool would believe the King ever did anything from a human point of view, and it wouldn't surprise a true King's Citizen if Charmy put to flight hundreds of Lucifer's fiends with these pathetic looking plastic things.

It was about this time that Vector came back from his mission; and Charmy eagerly rushed to show him the plastic armor. "Look, Vector, look what my friend Mr. Bird brought me from the King!"

Vector gave the bee an endearing pat on the head. He didn't quite recognize the toy armor, but he was a pack-rat and his house was full of so much junk that he figured he'd picked it up somewhere, forgot about it, and Charmy must have just noticed it in some forsaken corner or other and pretended that it was from that King of his. He did look cute in it, though. "Well, you look good, kid," he admitted. "C'mon, Charmy. Help me find these kidnappers of yers so I can give 'em what for."

* * *

Charmy led his new friend back through the woods, trying to remember his route from when he escaped. "I'm pretty sure I went this way," Charmy said, looking around. "I think I remember this funny looking tree…"

Vector moaned inwardly, realizing that they might be looking around for awhile before they found there objective. Providing St. John hadn't left before they got there. That was really his biggest concern.

A branch snapped and Vector instinctively grabbed Charmy and pulled him into some nearby bushes, hiding next to him as several men and two...things…appeared, obviously looking for something. They were black, twisted, gnarled looking things that gave him the creeps.

"Those are some of the bad guys that took me an' the others away," Charmy whispered.

"They must be looking fer ya," Vector mused. "Which means St. John ain't broke camp yet. They're still right where you left 'em. Good."

"What'll we do?"

"I think I'll introduce myself," Vector grinned, winking at Charmy and stepping from the bushes. The crocodile had armed himself with his favorite battle axe and he slammed the blunt end against the ground and leaned on the top as the kidnappers and the creatures who were with them stopped and turned to look at him.

"Loose something?" Vector asked, flashing them a grin. In the next instant, he had taken his battle axe in his hand and swung it at a tree to his left. His strength allowed him to cleave through the entire tree easily and the thing fell atop the kidnappers with a _thud_.

Vector grinned again and made a show of brushing off his hands. "Well, that was easy," he said.

The branches in the tree moved then, and the two things crawled out, looking none the worse for wear. Each unsheathed a black, pulsating sword and started to walk menacingly towards Vector. The crocodile raised his battle axe in a defensive position, watching them come closer.

"I always did like a challenge," he quipped stepping forward and swinging at one of the creatures. It was like hitting mist; his axe went straight through the thing, yet he felt no resistance and obviously he did no damage.

A little freaked, but still determined, Vector lifted his axe over his head and brought it down on the other creature as hard as he could, with the same results as before. He backed up, barely managing to avoid a swipe by one of the creature's sword, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"What are these things?" he asked, starting to feel fear. How could he defeat something he couldn't touch?

"Vector!" Charmy cried, having comprehended his new friend's plight.

Vector risked a glance towards the bushes where he'd left Charmy. "Get out of here, kid," he yelled, hoping he could at least keep Charmy away from these…freaks.

One of the creatures raised his sword, and somehow, Vector knew that it would go through his battle axe the way his axe had gone through the creature, and that it would definitely not simply phase through his body. He was, quite literally, a dead man walking.

Vector had always figured he'd die fighting. He just hadn't expected it to be quite this soon in his life. But if it _did _have to be this early in his life, he might as well buck up and take it like a man.

"No!" Charmy screamed from behind him, darting from his bush with his little plastic sword in hand.

"Charmy, I thought I told you—" Vector would have continued, but Charmy had already made it to the side of the creature that was about to kill him, and shoved his little plastic sword against its leg as if to pierce it. That didn't really surprise Vector.

What surprised him was that it actually _worked_.

The creature gave an inhuman shriek of pain and dropped his sword, his hands instinctively going to his wounded leg. Charmy looked at him defiantly, his plastic sword held firmly in his hands. "You're a bad guy," he said angrily. "The King's gonna punish you, you big meanie!"

The other creature grabbed for Charmy but the bee darted out of the way and cut the thing's hand. With a little plastic sword. When Vector couldn't touch them with a razor sharp battle axe. Something wasn't adding up here, but the crocodile couldn't seem to figure anything out.

Charmy backed up until he was standing beside Vector, sword still drawn and at the ready, his eyes showing righteous indignation at these things that would dare attack them.

One of the creatures took a horn from his belt and blew into it. Within moments three more of the creatures had joined the first two, their own weapons drawn. Vector sincerely doubted that Charmy could take them all out by himself, and he'd already admitted to himself that he was useless against these…whatever they were.

"Nice knowin' ya, Charmy," he told the bee regretfully. "Sorry we never got ta help yer pals."

"Don't give up hope, Vector," Charmy protested. "The King can still help us!"

Vector gave a wry grin. Might as well let the kid dream while he could, right? "I'm sure He could, Charmy."

The creatures menacingly started to step towards the two of them. Vector wished he could at least give 'em a headache or something with his weapon, just so he could know he went out fighting.

As the first one got within striking distance, however, a _thwip _sound filled the air and it stopped, a weird, star-shaped weapon embedded in its armor. The creature trembled, then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Before Vector could accurately process what had happened, a guy in weird-looking, white armor rode into the battle upon a horse. Standing upon it, the man jumped off, unsheathing a beautiful, curved sword from his pouch and slicing two more of the creatures at the neck. They also vanished in a puff of smoke.

The last two charged the man at the same time, and he expertly blocked their attacks, until he finally pierced one, then the other. Like the three before them, they vanished in smoke.

Vector, for one, was freaked. "What in Pete's name were those things?" he blurted out.

The man turned to the two of them. "Lucifer's fallen minions," he replied. "They are impervious to mortal weapons, but are vulnerable to the weapons of the King."

"Uh…right…" Normally Vector would have scoffed off the thought, but the sight of Charmy slicing into the creatures with a little plastic sword that he claimed was a gift of the King made him pause. He finally decided to concede the point, for now, at least until he got it all figured out. "And who are you, anyway?"

The man bowed to them. "My name," he said, sheathing his weapon, "is Espio the Chameleon. What is yours?"

* * *

Shadow was uncertain just how long he had been praying for guidance. He only knew that he was not moving from this spot until he knew for certain what he was supposed to do.

**"Shadow."**

Shadow's heart thumped as he heard the Spirit's voice once more. He looked up, a grin splitting his face as he saw the Spirit, sitting next to him in the form of a dove.

**"Shadow," **the Spirit called again.

"Here I am," Shadow replied softly.

The Dove made a cooing noise, His wings fluttering in triumph. **"Shadow, will you follow the Prince?"**

"I will always follow my Prince," Shadow replied, bowing his head. "Always."

**"Listen carefully, Shadow. The signature on the paper that Valdez had was forged."**

Shadow's head shot up. "What?" he asked, gasping.

**"The real blasphemer forged the signature so that there would be no evidence pointing to him. But he forgot that the I AM sees all and knows all men's hearts."**

"But if the signature is forged, then that means…" Shadow gasped. "Sally and Ray are about to condemn an innocent man!"

**"Shadow, I am sending you to stop them. Do not let them harm My anointed."**

"I will stop them," Shadow vowed. "I won't let them hurt one of Your Citizens."

**"Then go! For I AM with you."**

Shadow quickly stood to his feet and raced for his horse. He climbed aboard. "Hy-yah!" he yelled, kicking the animal's sides. As the horse started to run, he encouraged it to go faster still, desperate to catch up to his former comrades to stop them from making a terrible mistake.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11—Escape**

**In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.—Hebrews 12:4**

**I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.—Philippians 4:13**

**You're being tempted by the same ol'**

**You say it's under control**

**Remind me how you see so clearly**

**Face down in a hole**

**Press towards the light and the light will ground you**

**Go with the flow and the flow will drown you**

**Hey now, there's always an out!**

**-**_**Escape**_**, Newsboys**

* * *

It _hurt _to look.

He did it anyway.

Knuckles didn't know what evil, twisted desire in his perverted little body forced him to gaze at the illusion of the Master Emerald. The vines completely enwrapped his body, the spiked ends piercing his flesh. They were wrapped around him so tightly he could barely breath. But he could still see. And the only thing he could see at this angle when his eyes opened was the Master Emerald.

He felt like he shouldn't look at it. It made him feel dirty, reminded him that he was failing his King, betraying everything he now stood for, that he hadn't broken his cursed devotion to that stupid, cursed _rock_ like he had promised, no, _swore_, that he would. The agony he felt when this thought and those similar to them tore through his head as he gaze at the emerald, was so intense that the emotional pain became physical. So it hurt to look.

Knuckles closed his eyes. _'I just won't open them_,' he thought to himself, feeling relieved and pleased at his decision.

He managed to keep his eyes closed for all of eleven minutes. Then the desire to look overwhelmed him again and to his great disgust, he found himself staring at the stupid Emerald.

Knuckles grit his teeth. He had to try harder. He squeezed his eyes shut so tightly he was certain they wouldn't be capable of opening of their own accord. He wasn't going to look any…

He screamed as he realized he was gazing at the emerald again. He couldn't do this. He _had_ to do this.

He closed his eyes again…

* * *

Antoine's first thought when he entered the cave and looked around, trying to find Knuckles, was _Well, zis eesn't zo bad._ He shook off that thought; knowing that it was false. The cave _was _bad, and he knew that he could not afford to be lulled into a false sense of security.

The coyote drew his saber and went further into the cave, his eyes darting to and fro as he tried to spot potential dangers. He strangely felt no fear here in the cave; just an extremely uncomfortable amount of tense excitement. He'd be jumping at shadows either way, so it wasn't much of an improvement, he thought with a frown.

**"Remember to keep your thoughts on Me," **the Spirit warned, and Antoine nodded, confirming that he'd gotten the message. For a long time, he retained his vigil steadfastly; but the longer he kept it up, the harder it was.

The fact was, this cave was very boring. He grit his teeth, actually wishing it was as terrifying as it had been when he'd first gone through. It was much harder trying to rely and focus on his King's Spirit when there was no perceived threat. There was no obvious danger here. It was just a cave.

It wasn't even a dark, cramped cave! It was a bit darker here, but as caves go it was pretty well-lit, and he could see around him quite easily, and the cave was high and wide, so he couldn't even feel claustrophobia here.

But it _had _to be some sort of trap. He couldn't—wouldn't—let himself fall for…whatever it was the trap wanted him to fall into.

He hadn't realized that he had already fallen into the trap, as had thousands of others before him. The ensnare of the cave was simple; if one is busy focused on how not to fall, one is not focused on the King.

And no matter how wary one may be, if he is not focused on the King, he is doomed to fall.

There was nothing to alert Antoine to his danger until it was too late. The coyote shrieked as he felt something wrap itself around his wrist, felt a sting of something jabbed into his wrist, and then he was relying on instinct, his Sword coming up and slicing the vine that had entrapped him. A sticky yellow substance oozed out of the cut, some of it splattering against his cheek as he neatly sliced the vine in two, forcing it to release his hand.

The cave _screamed_. There was no other sound to describe what he heard. The commander barely had time to rip what was left of the severed vine from his wrist when thousands upon thousands of vines suddenly sprang from every which direction, each shooting towards him in order to capture him.

The coyote slashed wildly, raw terror overwhelming him as the poison of the vine that had pierced his wrist entered his bloodstream, diluting his senses until he realized in horror that he could not see nor hear the King's Spirit.

Panicking, Antoine backed up, stumbling over himself and falling to the cave floor. Vines started to wrap around his chest. Now barely conscious of his actions, his swordplay now completely instinctive, he hacked and cut at the vines, forcing them back until he got to his feet. Now completely terrified, Antoine turned tail and started to run blindly, not particularly caring _where _he went, as long as he left this cursed cave behind him.

Unfortunately, his panic, as well as the fact that he was the most navigationally impaired person the world had yet to see, pretty much ensured that he started running the opposite way that he wanted to go. And so the petrified coyote actually found himself rushing even deeper into the cave…

* * *

After riding hard and fast, Sally and Ray had finally caught up with their traitor. He was calmly riding up the road, as if out for a leisurely stroll, obviously not realizing that he had made a crucial mistake and that he was about to pay for his crimes.

"Hold it!" Sally yelled at him, spurring her horse faster. She was mildly surprised to see the traitor stop and wait for her, watching her expectantly, but she dismissed this to arrogance. The fool didn't realize that they had discovered him.

When the two of them had finally made it to him, the traitor gave them a pleasant smile. "Hello again, Commanders. I admit, I wasn't expecting to see the two of you again so soon. To what do I have the pleasure of this impromptu meeting?"

Sally merely drew her Sword and pointed it at his throat. She was mildly amused at the bewildered expression that came across his face; as if he didn't realize that his ruse was over.

"What is this?" he blurted out as Ray also drew his own dagger and glared at him.

"Enough games, _traitor_," Sally hissed at him.

The bewildered expression changed to shocked, and then to indignant rage. "See here, I am not a traitor! I love my King and there is nothing on, above, or under this world that would ever entice me to even _think_…"

"You may stop pretending," Sally told him curtly. "Your signature was on a decree recommending traitors who used it to spread heresy. The same heresy that has caused the death of many of the King's Citizens." She took out the document and all but flung it at him.

He inspected it, his face darkening with rage. "I tell you I did not sign this!"

"Is that your name or isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't—"

"Be silent!" Sally snapped. "I will hear no more lies from your mouth."

He fell silent, perhaps realizing that nothing he could say would sway the two Commanders who accused him. Ray dismounted and tied his hands behind his back as Sally officially charged him.

"Commander Julian Kintobor, you are under arrest for heresy and treason to the King."

* * *

Antoine, exhausted, out of breath, and completely lost, all but fell into a large, stadium-like room of the cave, sobbing as he twisted and slashed blindly at the plants behind him. They reached for him angrily, but they didn't seem to want to continue into this new part of the cave he found himself in. To this end, he backed slowly away until the reaching vines could no longer reach him, and then he sheathed his Sword and curled into a little ball, sobbing and whimpering.

It was a good long while before he could muster the ability to try to compose himself. He took a few deep, ragged breaths to compose himself, finally looking around and trying to take stock of his surroundings.

A dull throbbing in his wrist caught his attention, now that his terror-induced adrenaline rush was wearing off. He inspected his wrist critically. It was swollen and a faint trickle of blood was slowly oozing out of a small, thorn-shaped hole just under his thumb. He sighed and flexed his hand experimentally. It ached, but it wasn't freezing up or anything.

By this time, he was more or less in his right mind again. He stood up, brushed himself off, and said, "Monsieur D'Coolette, you, are a fuel."

Now content in knowing the truth about himself, Antoine started to walk in the opposite direction of the death-vines, searching for either Knuckles or a way out, he was no longer certain which he would rather find. Especially now that he realized he was in just as deep trouble as his friend.

The decision was taken from him, however, as he made it to the far end of the room. He gasped as he saw the vines entangled on the wall. He could see Knuckles wrapped inside them, the thorns pierced deep in thousands of places along his body. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was shallow and rapid.

"Knuckles!" Antoine yelped, yanking his saber loose. The coyote inspected the vines warily, half-expecting them to jump up and entangle him, too. He swallowed back his nervousness and quickly sliced through a vine covering Knuckles' arm. He yelped as it moved, then relaxed as he realized it was only going slack now that it wasn't attached to Knuckles any longer. For all intents and purposes, the vines didn't seem to be coming alive and attacking him. This did wonders for the sad amounts of courage he had managed to rally, and the commander set about to freeing Knuckles in earnest.

"Knuckles, you are beeng not dead, oui?" Antoine prompted halfway through, hoping for some sort of response from the echidna.

Knuckles shuddered and gave a weak moan, his eyes half-opening. He stared at Antoine as in disbelief for a second, blinking slowly. Then his eyes lit up with joy and he gave a weak grin.

"Commander, you came back," he whispered.

"Oui, and we are beeng in much trouble," Antoine replied. "Please to be stayeeng awake."

"'Mkay," Knuckles said, still grinning dopily. Whatever poison was in those plants, Knuckles had by this time been infected with so much of it, he was in serious danger. He didn't realize this, though. He didn't realize much of anything, except that Antoine was back, the Master Emerald wasn't haunting him at this point, and his body felt warm and tingly. It was nice, made him feel happy and…rather sleepy, really…

A painful stinging in his cheek shocked him back awake. "Wha?" he asked.

"I said to be stayeeng awake!" Antoine snapped at him, stepping back from where he had slapped him.

Knuckles just gave him another lopsided grin. "Antoine, you didn't tell me you had a buddy with you," he mused, staring past the coyote.

"You are deluded," Antoine said coolly, as he returned to his task of hacking Knuckles loose.

"Delusional," Knuckles muttered.

Antoine glared at him. "_You_. Are deluded," he insisted. "Zere ees nobody…" something grabbed his shoulder and he screamed, jumping three feet in the air and stumbling backwards. Instinct took over and he drew his sword, looking around wildly for whatever assailant had touched him.

A black, thick mist was gathered near where he had been trying to free Knuckles. It merged into itself, and Antoine watched in horrified fascination as it began to take form. Starting at its feet, it slowly solidified, becoming a flesh-and-blood body. Antoine recognized it even before it finished constructing itself, but when its head formed, it still didn't take away the shock of seeing _him_, here.

Antoine trembled slightly as the cruelest, most conniving, most _wicked,_ hated adversary he had looked back at him.

It was himself.

"What?" Antoine's eyes widened in shock as he raised his Sword in a defensive position. The Anti-Antoine drew his own saber and gave him a wicked laugh. Then, before Antoine could recompose himself, his most hated foe struck.

* * *

When he had been a mere child, his Papa had once told him that one of Lucifer's greatest lies was the thought that the dragon was the worst enemy a King's Citizen had. The truth, his father had said, was that the person who stared back at you when you checked the mirror was the worst enemy you had. That part of you that enjoyed the pleasures of sin for a season could—and would—kill your soul if you did not gain the discipline to obey the King instead of your carnal nature.

Now, as Antoine desperately fought for his life against the living embodiment of all that was wicked within himself, he found himself smiling grimly as he remembered his Papa's speech. No truer words had ever been spoken, apparently.

The Commander struggled with all his strength, blocking Anti-Antoine's attack, locking their sabers together. For a long, agonizing second, the two of them stared into each others eyes, each completely hating the other. Anti-Antoine suddenly pushed against Antoine, knocking him off balance. The wicked one struck wildly, then grinned wickedly as Antoine cried out in pain.

Anti-Antoine stepped back, his wicked grin still plastered on his face as Antoine slowly touched a long, painful gash running down his left arm. His fingers came away red, and the Commander set his jaw. He raised his saber again and thrust towards Anti-Antoine. His doppelganger stepped out of the way and hit him squarely on the head with the flat of his blade, sending him sprawling on the ground.

Antoine saw an explosion of stars, but didn't have time to admire the view as he found himself rolling out of the way as Anti-Antoine thrust his sword into the ground where his chest had been mere moments before. His reflexes quick, he kicked upwards and his foot caught Anti-Antoine squarely in the right eye, causing the wicked coyote to stumble off-balance long enough for him to regain his footing.

Anti-Antoine glared at him, his eye already beginning to swell, and he raised his saber, motioning Antoine to come get him. Antoine suddenly lunged at his foe, and the two were at each other in earnest.

There were only a rare few who could match Antoine D'Coolette's skill in swordplay, much less surpass it. It was just too bad Anti-Antoine happened to be the exception to that rule. The Commander blocked a high attack aimed for his head, but Anti-Antoine moved like lighting and Antoine could not react fast enough to stop his opponent from driving his saber into his calf. The Commander screamed as Anti-Antoine yanked his sword back out of his body. Antoine crumpled, clutching his leg as he bit his lip in agony.

"Face it," Anti-Antoine told the Commander smugly. "You have never been good enough to beat me." He kicked Antoine in the stomach contemptuously. "And you never will be."

Antoine gasped for breath as he felt his ribs crack from the force of Anti-Antoine's kick. He tried to pull himself upright, but found he could not. Black nothingness filled the edges of his vision, threatening to overwhelm him. He coughed, wincing at the pain he felt. "My…Keeng…forgive me," he muttered slowly, realizing that none of this would have happened if he had done as the King's Spirit had asked and had remained focused on Him.

Anti-Antoine snarled and grabbed him by his throat, yanking him upwards to eye level. "What was that?" he snarled.

Antoine struggled to breathe, and his mouth moved, forming words to which no sound would come. Anti-Antoine punched him in the face, causing the coyote to fall back to the ground. "I asked you a question, you coward! Tell me what you just said!"

Antoine wiped blood from his mouth and looked up at his foe, defiance in his eyes as he repeated, "My Keeng, I need Your help. Save me from myself!"

Anti-Antoine snarled in fury as he stepped forward, bringing his saber up to finish Antoine off. As he was preparing his final blow, he suddenly froze, his eyes widening as he stared at Antoine's chest. A faint light was shining from it.

"What the—"

Whatever Anti-Antoine was going to say, it was lost as the light intensified, bursting through the cave, enveloping everything within. Anti-Antoine screamed as the bright light dissolved his body briefly back into mist before it faded out of existence all together. The vines that entrapped Knuckles also dissolved, causing the echidna to collapse onto the ground.

* * *

The light dimmed, but Antoine found he was still glowing brightly. He looked at his body, neither upset nor afraid. He felt the Spirit's love enveloping his being, he did not feel the beating his body had taken.

**"Antoine."**

"Oui?" Antoine whispered, looking around. "Where are you?"

**"I AM with you, Antoine," **The Spirit replied. **"I reside within all those who give their lives to Me."**

"I do non understand," Antoine whispered. "You haff nevar shown yourself like zis before."

**"You have never asked Me too," **the Spirit replied. **"I do not force Myself on any being, it is a choice. By becoming King's Citizens, you give Me permission to live within you. When I live within you, it gives you access to My power—power to defeat your temptation, power to free you from yourself, power to defeat Lucifer and his minions—but I do not force anyone to use this power. There are many who would rather just live their lives, and not bother with it. And many who, sadly, enjoy their carnal natures too much to try to live a holy life for Me. And many more, who want to fight for themselves, who do not care, or perhaps simply don't think to ask for My help, do not call on My help, until they have no other option, if then.**

**"You must always remember this Antoine. YOU cannot destroy your Anti-self. Your Anti-self is stronger than you are and only with My power can you defeat him."**

Antoine nodded. "I weel remember," he promised.

**"Good. I have taken you and Knuckles out of the cave, Antoine. Do not worry about him; the poison does not last long if the vines are not continuously pumping it into you. He will be fine."**

Antoine smiled, not bothering to worry about whether _he_ would be alright. He could sense the glow leaving his body; but he did not worry. The Spirit was still there. The Spirit was always there. The King would never leave him, never forsake him.

As the glow faded, he became aware of his body once again. Stabbing pain shot through him, causing him to gasp and collapse to his knees. His vision started to blur. He saw something red—Knuckles?—moving near him, saying something he couldn't make out. Then the darkness overtook him, and he remembered no more.

* * *

"ANTOINE!" Knuckles couldn't remember the last few minutes. He vaguely remembered seeing Antoine in front of him, and then the next thing he knew, he was outside of the cave. And Antoine was collapsing next to him.

In a fraction of a second the echidna was at the coyote's side, checking his pulse, wincing as he noticed the two sword wounds and the bruises on the Commander's body. Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief as he found the Antoine's heartbeat, although it was rather faint. He was still alive then.

The echidna swallowed and looked around, hoping to find something, anything, to stop the bleeding. There was nothing readily available; but he noticed smoke coming from a little ways in the distance. He picked up the unconscious coyote and took off as quickly as he dared, hoping that whoever was there, would be able to help.

* * *

Big the Cat was a simple man, with simple pleasures. He had his little house, his little pond, a fishing pole, and a little frog who kept him company. And he was content.

The large cat was happily fishing in his pond when he heard someone come rushing down the path towards his house. He found himself wondering if they would be good company or not. He asked his friend, Froggy, if he had an opinion.

Froggy had an opinion, but as Big couldn't speak whatever language Froggy…uh…croaked, the cat was as much in the dark as he would have been if he had not taken the frog's counsel.

Figuring the only way to know for sure, was to go and see for himself, Big picked up his fishing pole and walked down the path towards the frantic footsteps.

It wasn't long before he could make out the figure of a person wearing white armor—that pleased Big, the white-armor-wearers were usually very good company to have. The cat waved to the white man happily, catching his attention.

The man came closer, so that now Big could see that he was carrying another man in his arms. "Help me!" the man pleaded when he had reached him, his voice sounding upset and panicked. "My friend is hurt bad!"

Big nodded quickly and took the hurt one from the upset one. "Uh, don't worry," he said soothingly. "We'll fix your friend."

The man froze, then looked at Big in shock, as if just now seeing him for the first time. "Big?" he asked hesitantly. Then he moaned. "Crud!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12—Our God Delivers**

**He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.—Psalms 72:4**

**But this is what the LORD says: "Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save.—Isaiah 49:25**

**Believe it or not there's hope**

**Believe it or not there's hope**

**Based on the truth ignorance is no excuse**

**There is hope**

**-**_**Hope, **_**Manic Drive**

"You're lost, aren't you." Espio was making a statement, not asking a question, which only served to make Vector Crocodile that much more defensive.

"We are _not _lost," he insisted. "I know _exactly _where we are."

Espio merely shook his head, not pressing his line of reasoning, but still convinced they were completely and hopelessly lost in the woods with no idea where they were or where they were going. He'd have left, except the Spirit had made it clear that he was supposed to follow the crocodile, for some reason that Espio couldn't fathom. But the Chameleon had learned that he didn't need to understand the Spirit's reasoning in order to obey Him.

Didn't mean he couldn't wonder what the point of all this was. Because apparently, the crocodile he was following was in turn following a six-year-old, who was wandering around with a glazed, lost expression on his fact that made it clear he had no idea where he was or where he was going.

Long story short: They were lost.

Even Vector, for all his fevered insistence that they weren't lost and he did know what he was doing, and what he was doing was a good idea, was starting to have doubts as to the wisdom of their current leadership arrangement. "Kid, you do remember where they had ya, right?"

"Um…" Charmy paused and looked around thoughtfully. "Well, I think so…but last time it was raining and everything was wet…" he pondered this truth for a moment, and his eyes lit up as he got a brilliant idea. "Maybe you guys could pour water on my head, so it'll be like it's raining and I can remember better."

Vector groaned loudly and buried his head in his hands, while Espio tried his hardest not to burst out laughing. Once he was certain he could control himself, he asked Vector mildly, "Do you need any help?"

"No!" Vector snapped, his pride refusing to admit that he needed anything starting with h, ending with p, with an el in the middle. "I've got this. Why don't you go…break rocks with your head or whatever it is you ninjas do."

Espio raised his eyebrow at the request, but he kept his tongue, allowing Vector to fall into a semi-depressive brood as he tried to figure out a plan B.

Charmy, meanwhile, couldn't fathom why they weren't still moving. The woods couldn't last forever, and he saw absolutely no problem with the idea of wandering around randomly and hoping they stumbled upon the place they wanted to be. After all, that's more or less what he'd done when he escaped, and look how well that turned out!

Nevertheless, he couldn't very well wander off without his adult buddies, so the bee sighed and waited for them to do…whatever it was they were doing. It looked like Vector was just standing there with this weird, scrunched up face while Espio tried to act like a serious grown up who did nothing but be serious.

He supposed grownups found such behavior to be fun, but to him it was just boring. He sighed loudly and looked around for something to occupy him while his buddies acted boring. There was a glint on the ground, as if the sun was reflecting something metal. Understandably curious, Charmy made his way over to it and checked it critically. It was a small, curved, fishing hook, lying on the ground. "Cool," Charmy said, picking the fishhook up. "Hey guys! Lookit what I found!"

"Not now Charmy," Vector said absently. He was now pacing back and forth, trying to think. Espio was watching him move with barely repressed amusement clouding his features.

"Lookit, guys! Lookit, lookit, lookit, lookit, lookit!" Charmy insisted with the typical logic of a child wanting one to give his attention to something important, namely, blurring the all important words 'look' and 'it' together so they seemed to be one, then repeating said words annoyingly until they granted his request.

"Charmy…" Vector growled.

"Lookit! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit!" Charmy continued, not even pausing to draw breath.

"Alright!" Vector snapped, glaring at Charmy as his left eye twitched slightly. "I'm lookiting!"

Pleased that he had his buddy's attention, Charmy held the fishhook up eagerly. "Look what I found."

"It's a hook," Vector all but growled. "You interrupted my planning for a hook?"

"Yep!" Charmy said happily, wondering why Vector's face was turning that funny shade of purple.

Vector closed his eyes, counted to fifty, then opened his mouth to chew the young bee out, when suddenly, the hook that Charmy was holding was suddenly yanked through the air. Since Charmy was holding said hook, this invariably meant he was yanked with it.

"AHHHH!" Charmy screamed as he was pulled through the sky to who knows where.

"Charmy!" Vector and Espio both yelped at the same time, taking off after the poor bee.

* * *

Sally Acorn and Ray the Flying Squirrel had thought they were prepared for any form of escape attempt that Robotnik could ever possibly think to use against them. They soon found that this assumption was false.

Although, to be fair, neither of them had figured on Shadow the Hedgehog appearing and trying to convince them to simply let the traitor go. Proving that he was a traitor too and that it was their duty to defeat or destroy him as well. At least, that's what Sally was telling herself as she and Shadow crossed blades while Ray kept his own weapon on Robotnik, who was doing a pretty good job of looking completely bewildered at the whole situation.

"Sally, you have to listen to me!" Shadow pleaded, his fighting purely defensive. "Turtle's the deceiver, not Robotnik!"

Neither Sally nor Ray seemed particularly inclined to believe Shadow; but Robotnik's eyes widened almost imperceptivity at the news and he clenched his teeth, his grip on his horse tightening in righteous fury.

"I should have known you were involved in this," Sally snapped as she thrust her blade towards Shadow's chest. He parried the blow, but it forced him slightly off-balance, and she quickly pressed her newfound advantage. "You did an excellent job of pretending to change your loyalties."

"What are you talking about?" Shadow growled.

"You know what I'm talking about," Sally replied, not knowing or not caring that her words were cutting Shadow much worse than any blade ever could. "Deception is the specialty of all those who willingly serve the dragon, and you are no exception!"

For a second, Shadow froze, his eyes widening, filling with pain and hurt at the reference to the past he was ashamed to admit was his. But it disappeared in an instant, replaced by blinding anger. "How dare you!" he snarled, attacking aggressively instead of defensively for the first time in the fight.

Sally stumbled back a bit at the onslaught, desperately trying to regain the upper hand in the fight, although it was all she could do to deflect Shadow's angry blows.

Ray was completely immersed in the spectacular fight between the two powerhouses in front of him. So much so that he never saw Kintobor move until it was far to late to stop him. Julian's fists connected with his skull, knocking him out before he had time to cry out, and with one fluid, lightning swift movement, Julian had managed to unsheathe his Sword and cut the bonds holding his wrists together, then urged his horse to break into a run, leaving the three other Commanders far behind. He briefly allowed himself to regret being unable to help Shadow, but squashed the emotion behind a veil of determination.

"So," he said to himself as soon as he was sure he had gotten away safely. "Commander Turtle's our traitor, is he? Well, it sounds as if I have some unfinished business with my dear old 'friend.'"

* * *

Knuckles felt Antoine's forehead, slightly relieved to find that there was no fever, which seemed to indicate that infection had not set in. That was a bit of good news, at least. Although the Commander had yet to awaken, and even if he did, he was in no condition to stand, let alone fight. A wave of guilt swept over the echidna, as he felt this was his fault entirely. If he had been more faithful, a little stronger, he wouldn't have disobeyed the Spirit in the cave, and therefore he would not have fallen. If he hadn't fallen, Antoine would have gotten out of the cave without any injuries, and right now he would probably be finding and saving his children. If Antoine's offspring died because of him…

"They won't," Knuckles suddenly vowed, to himself and the as-yet still unconscious Antoine. "I'll find them, Antoine. I'll save them. You won't loose them because of me."

The words made Knuckles feel better, if they did nothing for the unconscious coyote he spoke them to. The echidna's only concern now was pretty much how to find the missing children, and afterwards how to launch a one-man rescue…but let's worry about one thing at a time. First he should find them, then he could try developing ulcers over rescuing them once his first goal was accomplished.

Now that he had a plan (sort of) Knuckles decided he'd tarried here long enough. Nothing was going to happen while he sat there and stared at his unconscious friend's face, and he wasn't the type to allow the world to pass by when he had things he wanted to do.

With one final farewell and a hopeful remark about having Antoine's children by his bedside to greet him when he woke up, Knuckles quietly slipped out of Big's house, which the cat had more than happily offered to loan the two for however long they might need it. Although Big's intelligence left much to be desired, he could occasionally make up for that with his kind intentions.

Speaking of Big, Knuckles supposed that he should thank him and ask him to take care of Antoine until he returned. He knew the cat would care for Antoine whether he asked or not, but there were manners to be considered. It wouldn't do to seem rude when the cat was being nothing but hospitable. So Knuckles jogged the short distance to Big's pond in order to inform the cat that he was leaving for a short time.

In the course of his stay in this bizarre world, Knuckles had thought he'd seen so much strangeness that nothing could startle him anymore. He was wrong. The sight of Big the Cat scratching his head in bewilderment while he stared at a little medieval version of Charmy Bee hanging onto his pole's hook politely asking to be let down, was more than enough to startle him.

And if that hadn't done it, the battle cry of Vector Crocodile as he barreled out of the woods with an axe raised to impale poor old bewildered Big certainly would.

Relying on instinct, because his brain was mistakenly assuming that none of this could possibly be happening in the real world, Knuckles quickly stepped in front of the charging crocodile and punched him in the gut so hard that Vector actually dry heaved as he crumpled to the ground and curled in a fetal position, trying to protect his now-throbbing stomach. Knuckles regarded Vector with slight amusement while the crocodile tried to muster enough breath to say insulting things about the echidna's parentage, and noticed that Big must have let Charmy down, because the bee had suddenly shown up, flying just above the downed Vector in little circles while he babbled nonsense that seemed to be questioning whether he was about to die or not. It brought back a lot of memories for the echidna, although he couldn't help but feel that something was missing…

…Ah, there we go. Espio the Chameleon had just made his way out of the brush, and was now standing slightly off to the side with his arms crossed, staring at his companions with barely disguised disapproval. Just like old times.

_'The gang's all here,' _Knuckles thought, unable to stop the huge grin that crossed his face. Luckily his helmet covered that up; it wouldn't do for people to see Knuckles the Echidna grinning like a loon, now, would it?

Presently, Vector managed to get to his feet, albeit somewhat woozily, and gave Knuckles a glare that would cause lesser men to soil their britches, although Knuckles could care less of it. Espio, apparently deciding that Vector was fine and that he probably deserved that punch anyway, merely turned to Knuckles and nodded his head slowly in greeting.

"And so our paths cross again," he said by way of greeting.

Vector, pointedly ignoring the tears that were still leaking out of his eyes, looked from Espio to Knuckles and back again. "You two know each other?" he asked.

"Somewhat," Espio replied, an evasive way of informing the crocodile it was none of his business.

"We exchanged words was we passed each other on a highway not too long ago," Knuckles explained. "You've changed traveling companions."

"Yes," Espio said evenly.

"We're going to rescue my buddies!" Charmy explained to Knuckles.

"You are?" The echidna asked, more to humor him than for anything else.

"Yup! Me, an' Vector, an' Espio, we're all gonna go get my friends an' take 'em away from that mean old St. John!" Charmy said happily.

The name caused Knuckles to freeze. "St. John? _Geoffrey _St. John?"

"The very same dipwad everyone knows and loathes," Vector confirmed, wishing to put some distance between him and the guy who'd just punched him in the gut. "Let's get out of here, Charmy."

Knuckles, however, wouldn't let them go without getting some answers. "You're from Myrna?" he asked Charmy. The bee's eyes widened, and he nodded, shockingly at a loss for words. Still pressing for details, Knuckles continued, "Were there two coyote's with you? A boy and a girl, last name D'Coolette?"

"Yes!" Charmy squealed. "Jacques and Belle, they made sure everybody was ok when the bad guys took us away!"

Knuckles was silent for a long while, apparently thinking about something. "I'm coming with you," he finally stated.

"Oh, no you ain't!" Vector rebutted almost instantly. "I've already got one Mr. McTagalong with me, and that's one too many!" He jabbed his thumb back towards Espio to prove his point.

Knuckles merely turned to stare the crocodile down. "I'm going with you," he repeated. "I promised my friend I would rescue his children, and they're being held by St. John."

"We could use all the help we can get," Espio pointed out.

Vector was silent for a long while, then he sighed. "Just stay outta my way, got it?" he conceded, bounding off and letting the others follow as best they might.

* * *

It was fairly easy for Kintobor to return to Hesu's training center. If anyone thought it was odd that he had come back so soon after leaving, they didn't speak it. He was more or less ignored as he purposely made his way to Turtle's office, throwing the door open with all the force he could muster.

Tommy Turtle looked up from where he was sitting at his desk, regarding Kintobor with calculated coolness. "Really Commander Kintobor, there _are _easier ways to get attention other than breaking down other people's doors," he said, his tone deceptively mild.

"Is it true?" Julian asked, his anger barely restrained in his voice. "Did you do it?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific," Turtle replied dryly.

"Are you the traitor who's spreading the heresy?"

Turtle gave Julian a malevolent grin. "Finally figured it out, did you? Took you long enough."

Julian was temporarily floored. Sure, the evidence had pointed to Turtle, but deep down, he still hadn't been able to accept he was a traitor. Or maybe it was how readily he admitted his guilt; Julian couldn't be sure which of the two gained this reaction. His mind whirling with a million questions, he opened his mouth and blurted out the one that came most readily. "Why?"

"Why? For money, power, prestige. Why else?" Turtle shrugged. "All things Lucifer offers much more readily than the King."

Julian's face contorted with fury. "You snake!" he snarled. "You're a Commander pledged to teach and protect the King's Citizens! How can you betray them like this?"

"With a surprising amount of ease, it turns out," Turtle laughed. "The average King's Citizen is the worst kind of stupid—gullible fools, the whole lot of them! They believe anything spoken to them from a Commander, don't even bother to check with the training manuals or the King's Spirit to see if it's true or not! I could have told them the moon was made of licorice sticks and they would have believed it was a divine word from the King Himself!"

"You won't get the chance to test that theory," Julian vowed, drawing his sword. "Because I intend to cut that lying tongue out of your mouth and toss it into a fire pit where it belongs."

"By all means," Tommy gave Julian a mock bow as he drew his own sword, "you're welcome to try."

* * *

"It's a miracle!" Vector said happily from his perch in the bushes where he and his comrades-in-arms were spying on St. John's camp. "We actually found them!"

It actually was only the result of divine intervention that the four had found the campsite with Charmy's questionable directions. They had spent twenty minutes walking around a great big rock until Espio finally informed them that they were simply going in circles. (He would have informed them of this a lot sooner but Vector kept telling him to shut up whenever he opened his mouth.) Charmy had then told them that his friend Mr. Bird had just shown up to lead them, which made Vector question his sanity. Both Espio and Knuckles acted relieved at the mention of the mystical Mr. Bird, though, which made Vector question _their _sanity, but apparently Charmy's invisible Mr. Bird friend knew more about where they were headed than Charmy did, because here they were.

"Alright," Vector said, still giddy with their unexpected success thus far, "let's go get 'em!"

"Patience," Espio chided him. "Our objective is to rescue the little ones. If you rush in there now, they may kill them before we can get to them."

"Aw man," Vector pouted visibly, then sighed. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"We need a plan," Espio replied.

"We _have _a plan," Vector pointed out. "Go in there and beat the snot out of the lunkheads, then grab the kiddies and scram!"

"He means we need a plan that would actually work," Knuckles explained.

"Oh, well that's different then."

Espio closed his eyes, thinking intently on their strategy. "Vector and Knuckles, maneuver around to the other side of the camp and show yourselves, but do not fight. Talk to them, keep them distracted, while I sneak in the back way and get the children out safely."

Knuckles nodded. "It might work," he admitted. "But it's risky."

"All of our options are risky," Espio pointed out. "But this one is the safest by far."

"Let's do it," Vector piped in, eager to do _something._

"What do I do?" Charmy asked.

The three men exchanged worried glances, none of them particularly wanting to put a six-year-old in the line of fire but uncertain of how best to explain that fact. Finally Vector shrugged and dug a coin out of his pocket, handing it to the bee.

"You uh, stay here and…uh…guard this shiny penny," he explained.

Charmy frowned, the wheels in his head churning at this turn of events. Then he grinned and chirped, "OK!" much to the great relief of his companions.

* * *

Shadow wasn't sure how long he and Sally had been fighting each other. He knew it had been a very long time; and that the both of them were showing signs of fatigue. If they kept this up much longer one or the other of them would certainly be injured, or worse, killed. He thought he might have a way to end this, but with the way things had worked out, he wasn't certain if his idea would work.

Behind him, he heard a moan that signified Ray was starting to wake up from the little 'nap' Julian had given him. With Ray in the fight, Shadow wouldn't be able to win it. If he was going to put his plan into motion, it had to be now.

Making a split-second decision, Shadow quickly kicked Sally in her stomach, forcing her to stumble backwards and fall onto the dirt. She was on her feet in an instant, but it was already over.

Shadow had thrown his sword into the dirt and raised his hands over his head.

Sally approached carefully, wary of some sort of trick.

"Don't take my word on this, Sally, and don't trust your carnal judgment. Take this to the King. He will tell you that I speak the truth," Shadow pleaded with her.

Sally set her jaw as she resolutely tied Shadow's forepaws together. "Ray, make sure he can't escape," she told her partner, who quickly moved to comply. Sally looked at Shadow meaningfully. "Then we'll see what the King has to say on this matter."

* * *

"What's goin' on?" Belle whispered in her brother's ear. He was the only one of them who still dared to look out of their tent-prison since the orders to kill whoever left had been issued.

"Non suah," Jacques whispered back. "Couple guys jus' came into the camp. One's wearin' King's Armor."

"Means nuthin," Belle replied. "Non wit' all the phoney's 'round here."

"Shh, they're talkin'," Jacques hissed, straining to hear the conversation.

Geoffrey seemed to have recognized one of the men, a crocodile. "Vector! How nice of you to show your lazy carcass. Thought you didn't want my money?"

The crocodile, Vector, shrugged. "Things change, St. John. Money's money, and I ain't got a lot of it nowadays, y'know?"

The skunk grinned roguishly. "I knew your greed would outweigh your morals eventually," he chuckled. "But who's your friend? I can't seem to see you chumming around with King's Citizens, and that's what this one seems to be."

"This is uh…Bob…" Vector managed to stammer out, suddenly seeming unsure of himself. "From a race of uh…white-loving… mole… people. Yeah, that's it exactly! Say hello, Bob."

Bob somehow managed to covey the sense of glaring at Vector even though Jacques couldn't see his face. "My name is not Bob," he growled.

"Ahaha," Vector laughed nervously, stomping on Bob's foot swiftly. "Bob's a few nuts short of a fruitcake, if you get what I mean," he said quickly, tapping the side of his head and winking at St. John. The skunk nodded and winked back at Vector, looking amused.

Bob looked annoyed.

Jacques was intrigued by the whole situation. It was obvious Vector was lying through his teeth, and the young coyote wondered if Geoffrey was smart enough to draw that conclusion. As for Bob (if that was really his name) he was definitely not a mole, and Jacques doubted that any mole people would try to replicate King's Armor, no matter how much they loved the color white.

"Jacques!" Belle's frantic voice caused him to look away from the tent entrance in time to see a long knife being jabbed into the back of their tent and slicing downwards. Instinctively, Jacques stepped in front of the other kids, now standing between them and whoever was trying to get in, although he realized that he had no way to protect any of them.

Finally, whoever it was had made a hole big enough to suit them and the knife disappeared. A second later, a chameleon in King's Armor stuck his head into the makeshift doorway. "Stay quiet," he whispered. "And follow me."

"It's a rescue!" one of the older kids whispered excitedly, and Jacques nodded, scarcely believing it.

"Let's get outta here," he told his friends, helping the younger ones out. He was the last to leave, making sure everyone made it out safely.

Once outside, he glanced over to where the other two newcomers were, realizing they were a distraction to help them escape. The crocodile was really hamming it up, while the other one (Jacques still wasn't sure what he was) was just more or less standing there.

"Yup, and there was Bob, just standing there in the rain looking like a drowned rat, or as much of one as a mole can look, anyway, and holding a candle, trying to light it. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why it didn't work!" Vector was saying, ignoring the unfriendly growls 'Bob' was sending his way.

But it was working, in that none of St John's goons were looking their way. Jacques sighed with relief as he realized that the kids in the front had made it to the safety of the woods. They were almost away.

"Oh, and Bob's a dancer, too. He does the craziest dance!" Vector continued without missing a beat. "Do a little dance for us, Bob."

"I _don't _dance," his companion hissed.

"Yes you do," Vector insisted. "You love dancing. You're always going on about how _everybody looks at you and not something else _when you dance."

There was a heavy sigh, and apparently 'Bob' complied with Vector's request, as Jacques heard the guards start laughing at the obviously horrible dancing. No doubt Bob was in the process of repenting for plotting to kill Vector in his heart right about now.

It was right at that moment that the little wolf cub Leeta tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground with a startled cry. Jacques stomach twisted violently as everyone, even Vector and his friend, looked over to where they were escaping.

The chameleon sprang into action first, throwing something onto the ground that caused a black cloud of smoke to emerge between them and the guards. "Run!" he ordered, grabbing up Leeta and sprinting towards the woods, the rest of the kids hot on his heels.

Geoffrey realized what was happening a split second later. He swore as he reached for his sword. "They're after the brats!" he yelled out in warning.

"What now?" 'Bob' asked.

"Plan B," Vector replied. "Hot soup, comin' through!" With that, he sprang forward and punched Geoffrey in the mouth, signaling his buddy to attack as well.

Jacques had made it to the woods at that point with the rest of the kids, and so he never found out how that plan worked out for them.

* * *

Both Turtle and Kintobor were masterful swordsmen, but the cramped conditions in Turtle's office gave their fight a whole new level of difficulty. Neither of the two were willing to back down or give an inch to find a more suitable combat location, though, so they simply made due with what they had. Julian struck out with all his strength, only for Tommy to duck under the blow and move in to counterattack. With a swift flick of his wrist, Julian parried his attack and the two were soon fighting in earnest. Both were slightly more cautious in the beginning, each testing to find the other's strengths and weaknesses, but as time went on, the fighting became more and more fierce.

Julian was intent on his opponent, paying no heed to his surroundings—a mistake that he soon paid for, when as he jumped back to avoid a particularly nasty slice, he backed into a chair and tumbled to the floor. Tommy quickly moved to take advantage of the situation, but Julian was a lot quicker than he looked and was back on his feet before Turtle could finish him off. The two were soon back at each other's throats again.

To an outside observer, it would appear as if the two were involved in some sort of elaborate dance. One would attack, the other would retreat. And then the other would attack, and his opponent retreat. Back and forth, while their swords clashed against one another relentlessly.

Julian found a hole in Turtle's defense and took a risk, thrusting his sword and managing to nick Turtle's cheek. Tommy didn't even wince as a thin red line appeared there, still intent on the fight between the two.

Slowly but surely, Tommy started to gain the upper hand. He was younger and in better shape than Julian, and although of the two Julian was the better swordsman, he hadn't the stamina that his rival possessed. He was losing, and they both realized it.

"Do you know what the best part of this is, Kintobor?" Turtle taunted his weary opponent. "I will get the rewards offered for betraying the King—but it will be

"Do you know what the best part of this is, Kintobor?" Turtle taunted his weary opponent. "I will get the rewards offered for betraying the King—but it will be _your _name that future generations will curse for my wrongdoings!" He laughed wickedly at the thought.

"Whether you kill me or not, you will not win," Julian assured him breathlessly. "Nothing is hidden that will not be shown in the light for all to see!"

"Whatever lets you face death like a man," Tommy chuckled, kicking Kintobor's feet out from under him. Julian fell with an _oomph!_ and Tommy pressed his sword against his neck. "Speaking of dying…"

"Turtle!" Shadow the Hedgehog yelled at the traitor, having reached the fight with Sally and Ray in tow. He stood with his sword in hand, glaring at Tommy.

The momentary distraction was all Julian needed. With one lightning swift motion, he pushed Tommy's sword away and jumped up, bringing the hilt of his own sword against the traitor's temple, knocking him unconscious.

"One thing that you forgot, Turtle," Julian informed the unconscious traitor, "is that those who follow Lucifer are destined to lose."

With that, he sheathed his sword and caught Shadow's eyes, bowing his head slightly to show his thanks, and calmly made his way to his horse as Sally began to bind Turtle. Catching the traitor was a good thing; but Julian had a responsibility to his training center and he had been gone far too long as it was.

* * *

"Now _this _is a fight!" Vector laughed as he swung his battle axe wildly at his opponents, who had given up trying to get anywhere near the obviously insane crocodile and were trying to shoot him from a distance as he charged after them.

"You're crazy!" Knuckles yelled at him, having come to the same conclusion as their opponents as he literally fought for his lift against three guards who were trying their absolute best to gut him at the same time.

Vector just laughed at him and took off, having caught sight of St John in the fray and determined to give him a piece of his mind—and hopefully his battle axe, if the skunk's fighting skills were having an off day.

"ST JOHN!" the crocodile bellowed, not stopping for anyone or anything in his way, merely swinging his axe around to knock or slice his way clear.

Geoffrey turned briefly to get a good look at the crocodile and paled slightly, then darted off towards the tents, presumably to make his escape.

Vector didn't even pause as he took off after him. Of course, this meant he left Knuckles to deal with St. John's twenty-plus goons on his own.

Knuckles fought bravely, although his opinion of Vector wasn't very high at that time. But frankly, his opinion of Vector had never been high. This stunt, however, definitely made his opinion of Vector go down to negative numbers.

As he was thinking this and similar disparaging thoughts pertaining to Vector, he couldn't help but note that he was being overwhelmed. He was good, yes, but even he couldn't stop this many by himself.

He dodged a sword from his left and used his Knuxgloves to block another coming from above his head, when something hard hit the small of his back and he stumbled. Before his opponents could take advantage of this weakness, a small orb hit the ground and a bright flash of light from it caused everyone to flinch back. When the light faded, Espio was standing in front of Knuckles, katana drawn as he faced down their opponents.

Knuckles decided that while he and Vector may never be friends, Espio was a pretty good guy.

"Where are the kids?" Knuckles asked, regaining his feet.

"I left them with Big," Espio replied. "When one actually knows where one is going, it turns out that Big is not more than a five minute hike from here. By the way, your friend is awake, and very pleased to see his children. Big believes he will make a full recovery."

"Thank God," Knuckles muttered to himself as their opponents recovered from their temporary bewilderment. "Any ideas?"

Espio gave him a rare grin and held up three more orbs. "Pepper bombs," he explained, before hurling them into their opponent's faces. Within moments, the majority of their attackers were busy clutching their eyes and screaming, leaving the remainder of the fight to be a relatively easy mopping up of their opponents.

* * *

St. John was an idiot if he thought he was going to get away from Vector Crocodile. While the mercenary didn't have many moral issues, there were three rules that could not be crossed.

1. You don't attack unarmed civilians. That makes you a robber, not a mercenary.

2. You don't hurt children under _any _circumstances.

3. You never, ever, hurt Vector Crocodile's buddies.

And, since Charmy Bee had managed to worm himself onto the very small list of Vector's buddies, that meant that St. John had three strikes against him. And _that _meant that he was in for a world of pain once Vector managed to catch up to him.

All at once, the skunk stopped running and whirled around, his sword out as he swung at Vector, his eyes full of disgust for the reptile. Vector's battle axe stopped the blow and he forced the skunk to step back.

"You really are an idiot, aren't you, Vector?" St. John asked him. "You've just blacklisted yourself, you know that, don't you? And for what? A bunch of snot-nosed brats?"

"You don't know nuthin'!" Vector snarled, swinging his axe at St. John's head. The skunk managed to keep one step ahead of him.

"I know about that deal you cut with the bee kid," St. John shot back.

Vector froze in shock. "What?"

Geoffrey smirked, knowing he had the crocodile. "Even _you _know that if word got out you let yourself get hired by a six-year-old who _obviously _couldn't pay you, you'd never get hired again. I'm sure that's one nasty rumor you'd rather we kept between the two of us, isn't it?"

Vector blinked at him, his mind churning with what Geoffrey was threatening. He shook his head and tightened his grip on his axe. "Ferget it, St. John. I ain't lettin' you get away with murderin' innocents and kidnappin' children."

"And why not?" Geoffrey all but yelled at him. "What have you got to gain by doing this? Surely you can't _possibly _believe that there's some King somewhere who deserves your allegiance, or whatever it is those idiot Citizens believe!"

Vector thought back to a small bee with an awesome faith in something he couldn't see, that somehow always seemed to pay off in the end for him in spite of the tragedies he had endured. The crocodile grinned crookedly. "Truthfully? I do, actually."

Geoffrey's jaw dropped open in shock as Vector started to laugh.

"Whadduyah know? I said it. Been wonderin' bout it for a long time now. Ever since an honest little bee gave me back my moneybag without stealin' anything. Ain't too sure who this King guy is yet, but I intend ta find out. Wuz also intending to chop yer fool head off, but I don't think I will anymore." Vector stepped forward and punched the still shocked Geoffrey in the mouth again, knocking him out. "Don't think my new King'd like that, as much as I would."

He whistled to himself as he grabbed Geoffrey's tail and dragged him unceremoniously back to where he had left Knuckles. He found the echidna with Espio, busy tying up the last of Geoffrey's goons.

"Here's another weasel to truss up," he informed the two, tossing Geoffrey at their feet. "Where's Charmy?"

"I took him with me when I left and left him with Big under the impression that he is guarding the other children," Espio explained.

"Huh. Just as well, I guess. Kid didn't need to see this. Well, let's get out of here, ninja-boy, I gotta go get him before he hurts himself."

Espio raised his eyebrow at this, but spoke not a word. Vector didn't really need him too; he was speaking to hear his head rattle, not because he wanted conversation.

"By the way, been wanting to know more about this King of yers. Maybe the three of us could meet up sometime and…"

Knuckles shook his head as he watched Vector purposefully drag Espio away, conveniently plotting a future for all three of the alternate members of the Chaotix, while Espio was trying to politely inform him that he must do the King's bidding, not Vector's.

Knuckles looked over the now-demolished camp. It seemed everything had turned out well in the end.

**"Knuckles." **

The echidna whirled to see the Spirit sitting on the ground beside him. "Yes?" he asked.

**"Well done."**

Knuckles smiled. And suddenly his world went black.


	13. Epilogue

**Chapter 13—Epilogue**

**LORD, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.—Psalms 26:8**

**And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.—Hebrews 10:24-25**

**You're my brother you're my sister**

**So take me by the hand**

**Together we will work until He comes**

**There's no foe that can defeat us**

**If we're walking side by side**

**As long as there is love we will stand**

**-**_**We Will Stand, **_**Russ Taff**

With a gasp, Knuckles sat up, panting heavily as he took in his surroundings.

He was back on Angel Isle, in front of the Emerald Shrine. For all intents and purposes, it was as if he had just woken up from a long and involved Emerald Vision. He quickly looked around for any signs that his journey might have been something more, but there was no proof that he had gone anywhere. For all intents and purposes, he had merely had a long, bizarre dream.

Knuckles took a deep breath, realizing that he had a big decision to make. Did he still believe that God existed although he now had no real evidence to back up the belief, or did he simply chalk up the whole episode to wishful thinking?

"_Blessed are those who have not seen me, and have little or no proof I exist, and yet believe in Me anyway." _The words the Prince had told him when they had met—it now seemed an eternity ago—echoed in his mind.

Knuckles took a deep breath, standing up and gazing upon his Island. Strange, it seemed that creation itself, the birds and sky and trees, all seemed to be shouting at him that God was indeed real, although to his knowledge he had never realized this before. Perhaps he simply was too stubborn to listen?

Whatever the case, what he had experienced had not been imagined. He felt this deep within his being, a deep-seated faith in something he could not fully prove, and yet, it seemed so obviously _right _now that he could not image ever doubting the Truth.

He could not prove it. He seriously doubted he could properly explain it. He also _knew_, deep in his gut, that it was true. So…now what?

Knuckles scratched his head as he tried to figure out his next course of action. Knowing and believing were all well and good, but he figured that there was probably something he should be doing about it. Just what that something was though, completely eluded him.

He needed to find Sonic. The hedgehog had been a believer for a long time, so it was reasonable to assume he had figured out the answers to many of the questions Knuckles was now faced with. No doubt he would be able to provide Knuckles with at least a pretty good clue as to what to do next.

* * *

It didn't really take any time for the Guardian to hide the Master Emerald in some obscure place on his Island and arm all the traps—he wasn't going to obsess over it anymore, but that was no reason to simply let whatever megalomaniac who wanted it take I without a fight—and with that, he quickly headed down to Station Square.

After about ten minutes, Knuckles realized that Station Square was a _lot _larger than he had previously estimated. He'd never left the Island unless Sonic asked or the Master Emerald was broken. In the former situation, he never had to look for Sonic because Sonic found him, and in the latter, he had some sort of internal GPS that led him right to the broken Emerald pieces.

He did not have a 'Sonic' setting on that GPS, apparently. How in the world could it be so hard to find a blue hedgehog? Be that as it may, Knuckles couldn't find Sonic anywhere.

"Well, _now _what do I do?" Knuckles growled aloud. He supposed he could just go back to Angel Island and wait for Sonic to show up again whenever he got the hankering to visit. That could be a few days though, since he'd just visited…uh…however long ago it was before this latest mess started.

'**Try the Chaotix."**

Knuckles almost choked on his spit, instinctively looking around to see if he could find any psychic doves flying nearby. There wasn't. The voice he had heard in his head was definitely fainter, but unmistakable.

He took a deep breath to recompose himself. The Spirit did say He was always with him, after all…even when he couldn't see Him.

"The Chaotix, huh," Knuckles mused. "I guess if anybody could find a missing hedgehog, it'd be them. I hope they don't charge me for it."

* * *

And so it was the Knuckles found himself knocking on the Chaotix's front door, listening to the sound of things breaking and a six-year-old bee sobbing and screaming on the other side.

"Come in!" Espio's voice came through the din. Knuckles opened the door and entered the home that doubled as the Chaotix's detective office. The place was a mess. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, and an ironing board was set up smack dab in the center of the room, where Espio the Chameleon was desperately ironing out a very dressy-looking white shirt. Charmy was flying above a pile of shoes in a little circle, tears streaming down his cheeks as he pointed and lamented that he couldn't find his shoes. And Vector was suspiciously AWOL.

"Is this a bad time?" Knuckles asked hesitantly.

"Hi, Knuckles!" Charmy said, his distress forgotten instantly. "We're going to church!"

Knuckles' eyes widened. He remembered Sonic had wanted to take him there. Perhaps he'd better check this out. "Mind if I come with you?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure! Fine!" Espio looked like he was about three seconds away from heart failure. "I don't have _enough _problems around here! Make yourself at home! VECTOR!" Knuckles watched with mild amusement as Espio suddenly left his ironing board and started to bang on a nearby closed door. "So help me if you're not up in THREE minutes I'm sending Charmy after you! We have to be there in a half-hour!"

Knuckles frowned and checked a nearby clock. It was nine thirty in the morning. The echidna was accustomed to awakening at five A.M. each day; it was inconceivable that Vector was still sound asleep in his bed. And yet, he was.

"OK, I warned you!" Espio informed the door. "Go get him, Charmy."

"Hurray!" Charmy rushed into the room.

After a few seconds of a heavy, expectant silence, the unmistakable voice of Vector Crocodile cried out. "GAAH! CHARMY! YOU ARE DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!"

"EEEK!" Charmy screamed, rushing out of the room, a very angry Vector hot on his heels.

"What did he do?" Knuckles asked Espio, being curious.

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing," Espio said. And then he realized that his shirt was smoking. He had left the iron on…

"Oh, no!" The chameleon raced over to the ironing board and yanked his shirt off of it, moaning as he saw the black, iron-shaped mark on the back. "Well, I'll just leave my jacket on, and maybe nobody will notice…"

Charmy had locked himself in the bathroom, and Vector was pounding on the door. "Charmy, let me in! I know you're just hiding in there, and I've got to GO!"

"Not until you make me not dead!" Charmy insisted from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Fine! You're not dead, whatever! C'mon lemme in!"

"Just a minute…" Charmy sing-songed before turning on the bathtub. Vector started to do a very amusing little dance at the sound of running water.

"That ain't right!" he whined. "Charmy! Charmy? Open this door!"

Espio was putting a grey dress jacket on over the burnt shirt which he had buttoned over his upper torso. He either had no other suit clothes, or was too lazy to go find them. "Charmy, stop tormenting Vector and go find your shoes," he ordered the bee firmly.

"Aw…" visibly pouting, Charmy opened the door to the bathroom, and was nearly bowled over by Vector for his trouble.

"Finally!" Vector crowed, slamming the door behind him so he could do his business.

"I can't find my shoes!" Charmy sobbed, suddenly remembering this fact and completely broken up about it.

"Charmy, there are no less than ten pairs of shoes in that little pile that you dug out from the closet. Six of those pairs are _yours. _Pick up a pair and put them on your feet," Espio ordered.

"But I don't LIKE these shoes!"

"These are the shoes you HAD to have!" Espio replied, completely exasperated.

"But…"

"PUT THOSE SHOES ON, CHARMY! DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE!" Vector bellowed.

Sobbing loudly, Charmy grabbed two random shoes—that did not match each other—and shoved them on his feet, sniffling loudly.

Espio took a good look and mentally told himself to pick his fights wisely, and said nothing. "Vector, hurry, we have to go NOW!"

"I'm ready," Vector said, stepping out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt he had found lying there on the ground after he had thrown them there several days ago and never bothered to pick them up again.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Espio wondered aloud.

"Yeah, why?" Vector gave Espio a strange look, obviously wondering how the chameleon could doubt that he was wearing the stuff currently on his body, and walked out the door.

Espio sighed, decided to drop it, and herded Knuckles and Charmy out to the Chaotix's minivan. Knuckles and Charmy climbed into the back while Espio got the shotgun position, as Vector had already parked himself in the driver's seat.

Vector turned the key and looked at the van's clock. "Holy crap! It's nine fifty! We're late!"

"We wouldn't be late if you'd wake up at the time I set your alarm!" Espio replied.

"I know a song that gets on people's nerves," Charmy sang.

"Everybody hold on tight!" Vector warned his passengers, backing out of the driveway and then flooring his gas pedal.

"Vector, slow down!" Espio shrieked. Knuckles felt his stomach do flip-flops as Vector turned a corner so fast two of the van's wheels came off the ground.

Charmy, used to Vector's driving, didn't even pause in his song. "Get's on people's nerves, get's on people's nerves…"

A stoplight appeared up ahead, the light on the 'yellow' signal. Vector frowned and checked his MPH gage. "I can make it," he assured his passengers, speeding up slightly.

"It's ok, Vector!" Espio gasped out. "We can be late for church!"

"But I can make it!" Vector insisted.

"And this is how it goes! I know a song that gets on people's nerves…"

"Shut **up**, Charmy!" Vector, Knuckles, and Espio all snapped at the same time.

"See? I told you it would get on your nerves," Charmy told them smugly.

The van continued to race around town at breakneck speed as Vector kept insisting that 'he could make it' while Espio assured him that they could be late.

"It's OK Vector! So we won't make it for Sunday School. We can skip every now and again."

"Hey, ain't you teaching that Sunday School thingy, Espio?" Vector wondered aloud.

Espio paled—a pretty neat trick as he had already turned white at Vector's driving skills. "Oh, no, you're right. And I left my lesson plan at home—we need to get it!"

"No time, open a Bible, close your eyes, and just talk about whatever verse your finger lands on," Vector instructed, taking one hand off the wheel long enough to shove a Bible into Espio's hands.

Not knowing what else to do, Espio did as Vector said and started to read the verse he'd picked aloud. "Psalms 56:5 'All day long they twist my words; they are always plotting to harm me.'"

"Hey, cool, a Biblical guide to conspiracy theorists. Sounds like an interesting Sunday School lesson," Vector mused, speeding up a little. "I wanna make it in time so I can hear that."

"VECTOR!"

"I'm hungry," Charmy whined. "I wanna pop tart."

"I want five million bucks, a cherry red Ferrari, and a kid that doesn't whine about wanting pop tarts," Vector shot back. "We don't always get what we want."

Then, after sharing this little piece of wisdom, Vector whirled into a parking lot of a medium-sized church and parked near the back. He shut off the engine at the same time that Knuckles and Espio darted out of the van like it was on fire.

"We're alive! Praise the Lord, for he has surely preformed a miracle this day!" Espio laughed triumphantly.

"He did? Where?" Vector asked, looking around interestedly. "I wanna see."

"…Forget it." Espio muttered, taking Charmy's arm. "Let's just go inside."

Knuckles was half-way tempted to run while he still could, but he eventually decided that having come this far, he might as well see this through. And so he followed the Chaotix into the building.

* * *

Once inside, Knuckles had to admit it was a very nice building, and was admiring a large painting of Jesus as he was ascending into Heaven when Vector pulled him to the side.

"Come on," he said. "Lemme introduce ya to the Pastor. Yo, Tony!"

Knuckles almost choked on his own spit for the second time that day when a coyote raised his head and looked over in their direction. A very…_very_ familiar coyote.

"Oui?" Pastor Antoine D'Coolette walked over to the two, giving Vector a humoring grin.

"Knuckles, Tony. Tony, Knuckles. Well, my work here is done," Vector made a show of wiping off his hands. "See ya."

Antoine chuckled softly as the crocodile waltzed off, no doubt to get into trouble. He offered his hand to Knuckles, who took it somewhat dazedly. "Actually, _mon_ name ees Antoine," he explained. "But Tony works too, alzough Vector ees ze only _un_ to call _moi_ zat."

"Antoine's fine," Knuckles said, trying to shake himself out of his daze. "You uh, you look like someone I knew a while ago," he admitted.

"Oh? I 'ope 'ee was nice, zen," Antoine joked. "You are new 'ere?"

"No, actually, I've just recently gotten saved," Knuckles replied.

"_Tres magnifique_!" Antoine's grin got wider if that was possible. "Oh, I'd like you to meet _mon épouse_. Bunnie? Bunnie,_ cher_, could you come 'ere,_ s'il vous plait_?"

A smiling blonde rabbit with sparkling green eyes walked over to the two of them. "What is it, Sugah-Twain?" she asked her husband.

Antoine wrapped an arm around her waist, looking at her lovingly. "Bunnie, zees ees Knuckles. Knuckles, zees ees my wife, Bunnie. Knuckles 'as recently geeveen 'is 'eart to zee Lord," Antoine informed his wife.

"Well, dip meh in chocolate an' call meh an' éclair!" Bunnie cried with delight. "That's great news, Sugah-Knux. Welcome ta the family, darlin'."

"Thanks," Knuckles said.

"Oh, Ant, Ah jes' remembered, Espio wanted ya ta covah his Sunday School lesson taday, he said somethin' 'bout missin' notes an' conspiracy theories?" she wrinkled her nose as she tried to remember. Shrugging it off, she continued. "Anyhow, he looed awful upset sugah. Do ya think ya can handle it?"

Antoine thought for a second. "Oui, actually, I remember readeeng a very eenteresteeng verse een Psalms during mon devotionals zees morneeng zat I can use…" he picked his Bible up from where he had laid it to greet people and thumbed through his place markers. "Ah! 'Ere eet ees. Psalms 56: 5, 'All day long zey twist my words; zey are always plotteeng to 'arm me.' I weel use zees."

"Alright sugah. I'll go get the little 'uns, it's about time ta start. They're wanderin' round heah somewhere." Bunnie walked away, looking for her children, while Antoine gave Knuckles a somewhat apologetic grin.

"_Excusez-moi, _Knuckles, but I must be goeeng now. I have to start zee Sunday School class."

Antoine quickly darted off towards the pulpit while Knuckles wandered back over to the Chaotix. Charmy and Vector were sitting in the back row, calmly awaiting for church to start. Espio was standing off to the side, just sort of staring at them. Knuckles managed to make it to him.

"Look at them," Espio marveled, watching his two partners. "It's just like the story of the Gerasene demoniac; there they are, sitting clothed and in their right minds."

Knuckles had no idea what he was talking about, but he nodded anyway. "I see," he said.

"I wonder which was the greater miracle?" Espio looked deep in thought as he pondered this incredible mystery. Knuckles left him to it and went to sit by Charmy.

It was an incredible coincidence that he just _happened _to stumble upon a church that was attended by three of his friends and pastored by a man who's dimensional alternate had helped him as he was just starting out on his Spiritual journey. But honestly, Knuckles didn't believe it was a _coincidence _at all.

The echidna smiled. He knew what he believed; and while he might not be able to _prove _it to anyone else, he had more than enough proof to be convinced of it himself.

**The End**


End file.
